LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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ALLAN PINKERTON'S 



GREAT DETECTIVE BOOKS. 



1, — MOLLIS Mi^UIKES AND DETECTIVES. 

2. — STRIKERS, COMMUNISTS, AND DETECTIVES. 

3. — CRIMINAL REMINISCENCES AND DETECTIVES. 

4. — THE MODEL TOWN AND DETECTIVES. 

5. — SPIRITUALISTS AND DETECTIVES. 

6. — EXPRESSMEN AND DETECTIVES. 

7. — THE SOMNAMBULIST AND DETECTIVES. 

8. — CLAUDE MELNOTTE AS A DETECTIVE. 

9. — MISSISSIPPI OUTLAWS AND DETECTIVES. 



These wonderful Detective Stories by Allan Pinkerton are 

having an unprecedented success. Their sale is fast 

approaching one hundred thousand copies. "The 

interest which the reader feels from the outset 

is intense and resistless ; he is swept along 

by the narrative, held by it whether 

he will or no." 



All beautifully illustrated and published uniform with this 

volume. Price $1.50 each. Sold by all booksellers and 

Bent free by mail, on receipt of price, by 

G. W. CARLETON & CO., Publishers, 
New York. 



i 



MISSISSIPPI OUTLAWS 



AND THE 



DETECTIVES. 



DON PEDRO AND THE DETECTIVES. 



POISONER AND THE DETECTIVES. 



/ BY 

ALLAN PINEEE-^ON, 

AUTHOK OF 

"THE EXPRESSMAN AND THE DETECTIVE," "THE MODEL TOWN 

AND THE DETECTIVES," "THE SPIRITUALISTS AND THE 

DETECTIVES," "THE MOLLIE MAGUIRES AND THE 

DETECTIVES," "STRIKERS, COMMTJNISTS, 

TRAMPS AND DETECTIVES," 

ETC., ETC., ETC. 




V.% \8^^ .^// 



NEW YORK : 

G, IV, Carle ton & Co., Publishers, 

LONDON : S. LOW, SON & CO. 
MDCCCLXXIX. 



\ 



[Wll^ 14- 



COPYRIGHT 

BY 

ALLAN PINKERTON, 

1879. 



SAsrtTKL Stodder, 

STKIIEOTYI'KK, 

90 Ann Stueet, N. Y. 



Tro-w 

PRrNTING AND BoOK BINDING CO. 

N. Y. 



^Mmmmmmimwmm ^. ._ _ .. ,1^1 ■riMmm.m mmmmmmmmmmm^m 



H 




CHARLES DICKENS' WORKS. 



A New Edition. 

i\mon^ the many editions of the works of this greatest ti 
English Novelists, rhere has not been until now orn; that entiifljf 
satisfies the public demand, — Without exception, tley each have 
some stroiij distinctive objection, — either the form and dimensions 
of the volumes are unhandy — or, the type is small and indistinct — 
or. the Ulustrations are unsatisfactory — or, the binding is poor — or, 
the price ts too high. 

An entirely new edition is now, however, published by G. W, 
Carleton & Co, of New Yoric, which, it is believed, will, in every 
iTe^)cct, eonipletely satisfy the popular demand. — It is known as 

"Carleton's New Illustrated EditlC'ii." 

Complete in 15 Volumes. 

The size and form is most convenient for holding,— the type is 
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The illustrations are by the original artists chosen I y Charles 
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This beautiful new edition is complete in 15 volumes — at the 
extremely reasonable price of $1.50 per volume, as follows : — 

I. — PICKWICK PAPERS AND CATALOGUE. 

2. OLIVER TWIST. — UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER. 

3. — DAVID COPPERFIELD. 

4. — GREAT EXPECTATIONS. — ITALY AND AMERICA. 

5. — DOMBEY AND SON. 

6. — EARNABY RUDGE AND EDWIN DROOD. 

7. — NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. 

8. — CURIOSITY SHOP AND MISCELLANEOUS, 

9. — BLEAK HOUSE. 
la — LITTLE DORRIT. 
H. — MARTIN ClIUZZLEWIT. 
12.— OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. 
13. — CHRISTMAS BOOKS. — TALE OF TWC CITIES. 

4. — SKETCHES BY i-OZ AND HARD TIMES. 
15. — CHILD'S ENGLAND AND MISCELLANEOUS. 

The first volume —Pickwick Papers — contains an alph;ibeticjJ 
catalogue of all of Charles Dickens' writings, with their p>^sltiaJa 
in the volumes. 

Thii edition is sold by Booksellers, everywhere — and single spcci- 
mea copies will be forwarded by mail, pcstage free^ on rcu>ipt of 
price, §1.50^ by 

G. W. CARLETON k CO., Publishers, 

Madison Souare, Nerr Yerib 



IL 



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Mrs. Mary J. Holmes' Works. 



TEMPEST AND SUNSHINE. 

ENGLISH ORPHANS. 

HOMESTEAD ON HILLSIDE. 

'LENA RIVERS. 

MEADOW BROOK. 

DORA DEANE. 

COUSIN MAUDE. 

MARIAN GREY. 

EDITH LYLE. 

DAISY THORNTON. (Netu). 



DARKNESS AND DAYLIGHT. 

HUGH WORTH IN GTON. 

CAMERON PRIDE. 

ROSE MATHER. 

ETHKLYN'S MISTAKE. /, A 

MILLBANK. 

EDNA BROWNING. 

WEST LAWN. 

MILDRED. 



OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

"Mrs. Holmes' stories are universally read. Her admirers are numberless. 
She is in many respects without a rival in the world of fiction. Her characters are 
always life-like, and she makes them talk and act like human beings, subject to the 
same emotions, swayed by the same passions, and actuated by the same niotives 
which are common among men and women of every day existence. Mrs. Holmes 
is very happy in portraying domestic life. Old and young peruse her stories 
with great delight, for she writes in a style that all can comprehend." — New 
York Weekly. 

The North American Review, vol. 8i, page 557, says of Mrs. Mary J. 
Holmes' novel, "English Orphans": — "With this novel of Mrs. Holmes' we have 
been charmed, and so have a pretty numerous circle of discriminating readers to 
whom we have lent it. The characterization is exquisite, especially so far as 
concerns rural and village life, of which there are some pictures that deserve to 
be hung up in perpetual memory of types of humanity fast becoming extinct. The 
dialogues are generally brief, pointed, and appropriate. The plot seems simple, 
so easily and naturally is it developed and consummated. Moreover, the story 
thus gracefully constructed and written, inculcates without obtruding, not only 
pure Christian morality in general, but, with especial point and power, the depen- 
dence of true success on character, and of true respectability on merit.'' 

"Mrs. Holmes' stories are all of a domestic character, and their interest, there- 
fore, is not so intense as if they were more highly seasoned with sensationalism, 
but it is of a healthy and abiding character. Almost any new book whi; h her 
publisher mi°;ht choose to annoimce from her pen would get an immediate and 
general readmg. The interest in her tales begins at once, and is maintained to 
the close. Her sentiments are so sound, her sympathies so warm and ready, 
and her knowledge of manners, character, and the varied incidents of ordinary 
life is so thorough, that she would find it difficult to write any other than an 
excellent tale if she were to try it." — Boston Banner. 



t^~ The volumes are all handsomely printed and bound in cloth, sold every- 
where, and sent by mail, postage free, on receipt of price [$1.50 each], by 

••^ G. W. CARLETON & CO., Publishers, 

Madison Square^ New York. 



•^ 



CONTENTS. 



MISSISSIPPI OUTLAWS AND THE DETECTIYES. 

CHAPTER I. i-AGK 

A daring Express Robbery. —Mr. Pinker ton appealed to.— Cane-brakes and 

cane-fed People.— Annoying delays and Amateur Detectives 9 

CHAPTER IT. 
Difficulties.— Blind Trails and False Scents.— A Series of Illustrations show- 
ino- the Number of Officious People and Confidence Men that often seek 

Notoriety and Profit through important Detective Operations 21 

CHAPTER III. 
" Olc^ Hicks " a drunken Planter, is entertained by a Hunting-Party.— Les- 
ter's Landing.— Its Grocery-Store and Mysterious Merchants.— A danger- 

ous Situation.— The unfortunate Escape of Two of the Robbers 64 

CHAPTER IV. 
The Captured Ruffians are desired for Guides, but dare not join m the 
Search for the Outlaws.— One of the Robbers is Taken, but subsequently 
Escapes from the Amateur Detectives.— Another Clue suddenly fails. ... 44 
CHAPTER V. 

A Rich Lead Struck at Last ^ 

CHAPTER VL ^ 

The Mother of the Farringtons, being arrested, boasts that her Sons • Will 
never be taken Alive.''— Another Unfortunate Blunder by Amateur De- 
tectives —An interesting Fate intended for the Detectives.— VVJUiam A. 
Pinkerton captures the Murderer of a Negro in Union City, proving ' a 

very good Fellow— for a Yankee." ^" 

CHAPTER VII. . „ . 

The Scene of Action transferred to Missouri.— The Chase becoming Hot 68 

CHAPTER VIII. _, ^ ^ .^ „• 1 

A determined Party of Horsemen.— The Outlaws surrounded and the Birds 
cageZ— A Parley.— The burning Cabin.— Its Occupants finally surrender. 80 
CHAPTER IX. 
Barton's Confession.-The Express Robberies, and the Outlaw's subsequent 
Experiences fully set forth therein.— A Clue that had been suddenly 

dropped taken up with so much Profit ^i 

CHAPTER X. .^,,. . „ 
A terrible Struggle for Life or Death upon the Transfer-boat 'Illmois - 
" OverboarSI"— One less Desperado.— Fourth and Last Robber taken.. . 104 
CHAPTER XL 
The last Scene in the Drama approaching.— A new Character appears.— Ihe 
Citizens of Union City suddenly seem to have important business on 
hand.— The Vigilantes and their Work.— The End ii* 

DON PEDRO AND THE DETECTIVES. 

CHAPTER L . _ 

A fraudulent Scheme contemplated. -A dashing Peruvian Don and Donna.-- 
A regal Forger.— Mr. Pinkerton engaged by Senator Muirhead to unvail ^^ 

the mystery of his Life 

CHAPTER 11. . ^ ., 
Madame Sevier, Widow, of Chicago, and Monsieur Lesparre of Bordeaux, 
also arrive at Gloster.— Mr. Pinkerton, as a Laborer, anxious for a Job, 
inspects the Morita Mansion •^** 



VI CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III. PAGE 
Monpieur Lesparre, havino: a re<^entive memory, becomes serviceable to Don 
Pedro.— Diamond fields and droll Americans.— A pompous Judge in an 
unfortunate Predicament. — The grand Reception closes with a happy 
Arrangement that the gay Senor and Seaora shall dine with Mr. Pinker- 
ton's Detectives on the next evening 159 

CHAPTER IV. 
Madame Sevier and Her Work.— Unaccountable Coquettishneps between 
Man and Wife. — A Startling Scheme, Illustrating the Rashness of 
American Business Men and the Supreme Assurance of Don Pedro 170 

CHAPTER V. 
The third Detective is made welcome at Don Pedro's. — The Sefior is paid the 
first half-million dollars from the great Diamond Compa^ny. — How Don 

Pedro is " working " his diamond mines 189 

CHAPTER 'Sa. 
An unexpected Meeting and a starlling Recognition. An old friend some- 
what disturbs the Equanimity of Don Pedro. The Detectives fix their 
Attention upon Pietro Bernard! 205 

CHAPTER YII. 
Pietro Bemardi and the Detective become warm Friends. — A Tete-a-tete 

worth one thousand dollars 219 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Don Pedro anxious for Pietro Bernardi's absence. — " Coppering the Jack 
and playing the Ace and Queen open.'' — Bemardi Quieted, and he subse- 
quently departs richer by five thousand dollars 232 

CHAPTER IX. 
Important InfoTnation from the Peruvian Government. — Arrival in Gloster 
of the Peruvian Minister and Consul. — In Consultation. — " Robbing Peter 
to pay Paul." — Mr. Pinkerton's Card is presented. — Juan Sanchez, I arrest 
you, and you are my Prisoner. — Mr. Pinkcrton not " For Sale." 249 

CHAPTER X. 
The Fete Champetre. — A grand Carnival. — The disappointed married Lover. — 
A vain Request. — Unmasked ! — An indignant Deacon. — Don Pedro taken 
to Pern in a man-of-war, where he is convicted and sentenced to fifteen 
years Imprisonment 265 

THE POISONER AND THE DETECTIVES. 

CHAPTER I. 
Mr. Pinkerton at a Water-cure becomes interested in a Couple, one of whom 
subsequently causes the Detective Operation from which this Story is 
written.- A wealthy ship-owner and his son.— The son '• Found dead." — 
Mr. Pinkerton secured to solve the Mystery. — Chicago after the Fire 283 

CHAPTER II. 
The Detectives at work. — Mrs. Sanford described. — Charlie, the Policeman. — 
Mrs. Sanford develops Interest in Government Bonds. — Chicago Relief 

and Aid Benefits. — Mrs. Sanford's Story of Trafton's Death 298 

CHAPTER III. 
The dangerous Side of the Woman's Character. — Robert A. Pinkerton as 
Adamson. the drunken, but wealthy Stranger, has a violent Struggle to 
escape from Mrs. Sanford. and is afterwarcfs robbed. — Detective Ingham 
arrested, but very shortly liberated 319 

CHAPTER IV. 

Connecting Links. — Mrs. Sanford's Ability as an Imitator of Actors. — One 
Detective tears himself away from her, and another takes his Place. — 
Mrs, Sanford's mind frequently burdened with the subject of Murder. . . 340 
CHAPTER V. 

A moneyed young Texan becomes one of ^Irs. Sanford's Lodgers. — The bonds 
are seen and their Numbers taken by the Detectives. — Sirs. Sanford ar- 
rested. — She is found guilty of " Involuntary Manslaughter," and sen- 
tenced to the Illinois Penitentiary for five years.— llr. Pinkerton's 
Theory of the Manner in which Traif ton was murdered 856 



PREFACE. 



Ii^" presenting to the public another volume of my 
detective stories, I would call the attention of the reader 
to the fact, that these stories are literally written from 
facts and incidents which have come under my own 
observation, or been worked up by officers acting di- 
rectly under my instructions. 

The Mississippi River has for many years — more 
especially since the close of the war — been infested by 
a class of men who never would try to get an honest 
living, but would prey upon their neighbors or attack 
the property of southern railroads and express com- 
panies ; these marauders could be seen any day prowl- 
ing along the banks of the Mississippi, in fact, the shores 
and immediate neighborhood were peopled by just such 
a class, who cared not how they obtained a living ; for 
the crimes they committed, they often suffered infinitely 
worse punishment, more so than any suffering which 
could have been entailed on them from leading a poor 
but honest life. 



VIU PREFACE. 

The story of the " Mississippi Outlaws and the 
Detectives " is written to illustrate incidents which 
took place in the southern section of the country at no 
very remote date. 

" Don Pedro and the Detectives " is another story 
of detective experience, which came under my own 
observation and management ; it is a truthful narrative, 
and shows that some men are worse than known crimi- 
nals, and can squander the money they have obtained 
by false pretenses, in a very lavish manner. 

" The Poisoner and the Detectives " is a well- 
known bit of detective experience, which, when read, 
will be recognized by any one who ever takes an inter- 
est in crime, and the bringing to justice its perpetrators. 

The reader must remember that fictitious names are 
used in all of these stories, otherwise the facts are 
plainly and truthfully told as they occurred. 



ALLAN PINKERTON. 



AprU, 1879. 



f 



THE MISSISSIPPI ODTLAWS 



AND 



THEE] id:e3t:hotiv^:e3s. 



CHAPTER I. 

A daring Mispress Bohhery.^Mr. Pinkerton appealed 
to.— Gaiie-hraJces and cane-fed People,— Annoying 
Belays and Amateur Petectims. 

THE southern and border states, since the close 
of the war of the rebelhon, have been the 
frequent scenes of extensive and audacious rob- 
beries. This has been largely owing to the 
sparsely-settled condition of certain districts, to 
the disorder and lawlessness generated by the 
war, and to the temptations offered by the care- 
lessness of many persons having large sums in- 
trusted to their care in transit through lonely and 
desolate localities. 

The express companies have always been fav- 
orite objects of attack by thieves of every grade, 
from the embezzhng cashier to the petty sneak- 
thief, and some of the operations connected with 
the detection of this class of criminals are among 
the most difficult and dangerous that have ever 

[9] 



10 A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 

been intrusted to me. Probably a no more reck- 
less and desperate body of men were ever banded 
together in a civilized community than those who 
were brought to my attention in 1871 by the 
Southern Express Company's officers in Memphis; 
and I consider the successful termination of my 
efforts in this case as of the greatest value to the 
people of the South and West. The whole affair 
was conducted with such a limited force, and 
under such adverse circumstances, that I take 
pride in here recording the history of the affair 
and my connection with it. Though I maintained 
a general supervision of the operation, my eldest 
son, William A. Pinkerton, was the person hav- 
ing immediate charge of the matter, and to his 
energy, perseverance, and sagacity is mainly at- 
tributable our success. 

Some time in the latter part of July, 1871, an 
express messenger on the Mobile and Ohio Eail- 
road was overpowered by three men at Moscow, 
Kentucky, and his safe was robbed of about six- 
teen hundred dollars. The manner of effecting 
the robbery was a very bold one, showing the 
presence of men of experience in crime. The loss 
was not heavy, but the company made every ef- 
f oi-t to discover the robbers, in the hope of bring- 
ing them to a severe punishment as a warning to 
other criminals. In spite, however, of the efforts. ,.A 
of two of my men, who were immediately sent to - 

the scene of the robbery, the guilty parties es- 
caped into the almost impenetrable swamps along 
the Mississippi River, and the chase was reluct- 



A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 11 

antly abandoned, as it was impossible to tell where 
they would come out or cross the river. The 
amount stolen was not sufficiently large to war- 
rant the expenditure of much time or money in 
the pursuit of the thieves, and my men were soon 
wholly withdrawn from the operation. In order, 
however, to guard against a repetition of such a 
raid, an exti'a man was placed in each express car 
to act as guard to the regular messenger. It was 
considered that two men, well armed, ought to be 
surely able to protect the company against further 
loss, and everything ran smoothly until October 21, 
1871. At this time, the money shipments by ex- 
press were very heavy, as a rule, and orders were 
given that special care should be exercised by all 
the employes having money packages in charge. 
The northern-bound train on the Mobile and 
Ohio Kailroad was due at Union City, Tennessee, 
about half- past seven o'clock in the evening. At 
this point the northern and southern-bound trains 
usually passed each other, and stopped long 
enough for supper, the train arriving first being 
tiie one to take the side track ready to pull out. 
Saturday evening, October 21st, the northern- 
bound train arrived on time, stopped at the 
station long enough to let the passengers go to 
supper, and then took the side track to await the 
arrival of the train bound south. As soon as the 
side track was reached the conductor, engineer, 
fireman, brakeman, and express messenger went 
to supper, leaving the train deserted except by 
the express guard, named George Thompson, and 



12 A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 

a fow passengers. The local express agent came 
up at this moment, gave his packages to Thomp- 
son, receiving his receipt therefor, and returned 
to the station. This action was directly contrary 
to the rules of the company, v^hich forbade the 
messenger to leave the car during his whole run, 
or to go to sleep; also, the guard was forbidden to 
transact any business, or to have possession of 
the safe key. Martin Crowley, the messenger, 
had given his key to Thompson, however, to 
enable him to attend to the business of the local 
agent while Crowley was away at supper. In 
accordance with Thompson's request, Crowley 
sent a negro porter to the express car with 
Thompson's supper on a tray, and the porter, 
after handing the tray to Thompson, turned to 
walk away. As he did so, he saw two men spring 
into the partly open door of the express car, and, 
almost immediately, the train began to back. 
The negro knew that something was wrong, and 
he hurried to the station to give the alarm. By 
the time he arrived there, however, the train was 
backing at a moderate speed, and was well beyond 
the reach of pursuit on foot. 

Meantime, the guard, having received his sup- 
per from the negro porter, turned his back to the 
door to set the tray down. Before reaching the 
desk, he heard a noise at the door, and turning, 
he was confronted by two men, one of whom held 
a revolver at his head, while the other seized his 
throat. Thompson was a young man, and, not 
being accustomed to meet such hard characters, 



A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 13 

he was badly frightened. He immediately gave 
up the safe key and helped one of the men to un- 
lock the safe. Having taken all the money out 
of the safe, one of the robbers took also the con- 
tents of Thompson's pocket-book; but here the 
other man interfered, insisting that the guai-d's 
money be returned to him, which was done. No 
conversation took place, but when the safe had 
been carefully examined and all the money it con- 
tained taken, one of the men stepped to the door 
and swung a lantern once or twice. The train, 
which had been backing at a moderate rate of 
speed, now stopped, and the two men jumped off, 
telling Thompson to stay where he was and keep 
quiet. When the conductor, engineer, and other 
persons, whom the porter had alarmed, reached 
the train, they found everything in order except 
the safe, into which poor Thompson was vainly 
peering in the hope of discovering that some por- 
tion of the funds might have been overlooked. 
The men had disappeared in the thick woods, and 
no trace of them was found except a small car- 
pet-bag containing potatoes and bread. The 
amount missing from the safe was about six 
thousand dollars in currency. 

Although the robbery was at once reported to Mr. 
M. J. O'Brien, the General Superintendent, by tel- 
egraph, no action seems to have been taken until 
the following Wednesday — four days later — when 
Mr. O'Brien sent me a brief telegram announcing 
the robbery, and requesting me to come to Union 
City in person, if possible, and if not, to send my 



14 A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 

eldest son, William A. Pinkerton. The telegraph 
was used freely for the next two days, and while 
my son was gathering clues and making his prep- 
arations, we learned most of the facts by letter. 
William arrived in Union City on Saturday, just 
one week after the robbery had been committed, 
and he instantly began to gather information from 
every available source. Except the statements of 
the negro porter and Thompson, the guard, as 
condensed in the account heretofore given, little 
information could be obtained, as so few persons 
were about the train when it began to move off. 
While two or three had seen the men who had 
entered the car, no one had seen who had run 
the locomotive, and there was, -therefore, no cer- 
tainty as to the number of persons engaged in 
the job. One passenger had seen two men walk- 
ing toward the engine in a suspicious manner, 
and, as his description of these two was entirely 
different from that given of the men who had 
entered the car, it was fair to presume that they 
had been a part of the gang. Still, no one had 
seen them get on the engine, and it was not cer- 
tain that they had had anything to do with the 
affair. At the end of thre^ days, however, Wil- 
liam had collected sufficient information to sat- 
isfy himself that either four or five men had been 
at work together; and, by collating the various 
descriptions he received, he obtained a pretty fair 
idea of the party. 

The first thing which struck him was the simi- 
larity of this robbery to the one which had occurred 



A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 15 

exactly three months before at Moscow, Kentucky. 
The appearance of the men and their actions had 
been precisely like those of the Moscow party, and 
it was evident that they had been emboldened to a 
second venture by the ease with which they had 
carried through their former scheme. One thing 
was imperative: the capture of the whole gang 
would be necessary to insure the safety of the ex- 
press company's property in the future. Indeed, 
it was a mere piece of good fortune that the loss 
in this instance was not irreparable, for the 
amount of money carried on the southern-bound 
train was eighty thousand dollars, and the robbers 
would have obtained this large amount if the 
southern-bound train had chanced to arrive first. 
The robbery was clearly one which no common 
tramp or sneak-thief would have dared to attempt, 
and William saw immediately the difficulties of 
his work. Before proceeding with the incidents 
of the operation, I must give some idea of the 
country and the people living there, since no--:^ne 
would otherwise comprehend one-half of the ob- 
stacles and dangers which were involved in a 
search for the criminals in that vicinity. 

The southwestern part of Kentucky and the 
northwestern part of Tennessee are about as des- 
olate portions of the v^orld as are inhabited by a 
civilized people. There seems to have been some 
convulsion of the earth at this point, which is 
sunk so far below the general level of the whole 
country as to make it a perpetual swamp. The 
annual overflow of the Ohio and Mississippi lays 



16 A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 

the country under water for a distance of many 
miles, while even in the dry est season, the mo 
rasses, sunken lakes, and dense cane-brakes, ren- 
der it almost impassable, except for people who 
have been thoroughly acquainted with the locahty 
for years. 

The sunken lakes are natural curiosities in them- 
selves, and, although they have attracted consid- 
erable attention from scientific men, no satisfac- 
tory explanation of their causes and phenomena 
has been found. The country is full of game and 
the water is alive with fish, so that the necessities 
of life are easily obtainable. The cane-brakes are 
wonderful growths of bamboo cane, and they 
sometimes cover strips of country as much as 
seventy miles long. In the spring-time, the water 
rises to such a height that a skiff can navigate 
freely above and through the tops of the cane; 
but in dry weather, the stalks grow so closely to- 
gether that the brake becomes impenetrable to 
man or beast, except by winding toituously 
around the clumps through the comparatively 
thin portions of the undergrowth. To search for 
any one wishing to remain concealed therein is 
like the proverbial attempt to look for a needle in 
a hay-stack, sinc6 a man can pass within ten 
yards of another without seeing him or being 
aware of his presence. The only roads which 
traverse these places are mere cattle paths, which 
begin at no place and run nowhere; and, unless a 
man be thoroughly acquainted with the country, 
he ca:n never tell where any given path will lead 
him. 



,- ••*'^' 



A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. IT 

The people around the towns, such as Hickman, 
Union City, Dyersburg, and Moscow, are a highly 
respectable and well-educated class ; but in the 
low, swampy country, in the cane brake and along 
the river, they are not, as a rule, a very agreeable 
class to live among. Of course, here, as in all 
other places, there are many intelligent, reliable, 
honorable men, but the great mass of the cane- 
brake population are ignorant and brutal. The 
term which they apply to their stock is also emi- 
nently appropriate to designate the people : they 
are ''cane-fed." It is the custom to turn the cat- 
tle into the cane to feed when it is young and 
tender, and, as the amount of nutriment thus 
obtained is not very large, the " cane-fed " animals 
bear about the same relation to grain-fed stock 
that the people in that vicinity bear to the residents 
of healthy, prosperous, and educated communities. 
The larger portion of the population may be classed 
as "poor whites," and they constitute a peculiar 
variety of the human species. The men are tall, 
loose-jointed, and dyspeptic ; they bear a marked 
resemblance to the vegetable productions of the 
vicinity, being rapid of growth, prolific, and gen- 
erally worthless. Their education consists mainly 
of woodcraft and rifle -shooting ; their proficiency 
in both of these branches is sometimes astonish- 
ing, and it is frequently said of their most ex- 
pert hunters that they seem to have been born 
shot-gun or rifle in hand. Accomplishments they 
have none, except the rare instances where a few 
tunes upon the banjo have been learned from the 



18 A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 

negroes. Their tastes are few and simple, — whisky, 
snuff, hog, and hominy being the necessities and 
luxuries of life ; that is, whisky and snuff are the 
necessities, all other things being secondary con- 
siderations. In their sober moods, they are frank, 
rough, and courageous ; yet, even then, there is 
little about them to excite other feelings than 
those of pity and aversion. When full of bad 
whisky, however, they are apt to become quar- 
relsome and brutal, so that no man can feel sure 
of his safety in their company. An affront, real 
or imaginary, will then be apt to cause bloodshed, 
even if the insulted party has to bushwhack his 
enemy from a secure covert on the roadside as he 
is returning to his home. Every man goes armed, 
and, though fair fights in broad daylight are rare, 
cold-blooded murders are not infrequent. The 
law is seldom invoked to settle private differences, 
and, in fact, the functions of the legal officials are 
practically very limited in their influence. If a 
coroner ever sits upon a corpse, it is understood 
that he has done his whole duty by recording a 
verdict that ' ' the deceased came to his death at 
the hands of some person or persons unknown." 
The women, like the men, are tall, thin, and 
round-shouldered. Up to the age of sixteen they 
sometimes are quite pretty, though sallow and 
lifeless always ; after that period, they become 
gaunt, emaciated, and yellow. Whisky hath 
charms for them, also, but their favorite dissipa- 
tion is snuff -dipping. They marry very early and 
bear children nearly every year, so that the size 



A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 19 

of many of these West Tennessee families is often 
enormous. The father exercises patriarchal con- 
trol over his whole household until the daughters 
are married and the sons old enough and strong 
enough to defy the parental authority as enforced 
by a hickory rod. The wife never escapes the ap- 
plication of this potent instrument of marital dis- 
cipline ; and, indeed, should a husband fail to 
make frequent use of it for the correction of his 
better half, he would probably soon learn that his 
dutiful spouse could find a use for it on his own 
person. 

Throughout this whole district, the people suf- 
fer from fever and ague for nine months of the 
year, and dyspepsia seems hereditary. Their phy- 
sicians, however, ucually require no further edu- 
cation than is requisite to attend fractured limbs 
and gun-shot wounds, the whole school of medi- 
cine being limited to three specifics : quinine, 
calomel, and whisky. 

As before stated, it should be understood that 
the foregoing description applies to the majority 
of the inhabitants of the low swamp lands only, 
and not to the residents in and about the towns ; 
even in the cane country itself are to be found oc- 
casionally men of education, abihty, and good 
character, and to several of them William was 
largely indebted for assistance and information. 

There was one redeeming feature also to the 
character of the "cane-fed" population; in the 
main they were honest, and they w^ould do all in 
their power to break up a thieving gang, even if 



20 A DARING EXPRESS ROBBERY. 

they had to hang a few of its members as a warn- 
ing to the rest. I was thus able to trust them to 
a certain extent, though the fear which they had 
of this band of desperadoes rather kept their 
naturally honest impulses in check for a time. 

William was thoroughly acquainted with the 
character of the people, and he knew what a 
difficult task had been set before him, especially 
as he was allowed no other detectives of my force 
to assist him, the express company being de- 
sirous of conducting the operation as economically 
as possible. Among the large number of men 
employed directly by the company were two or 
three good men, but the majority were even 
worse than useless, and the expense of the affair 
was finally much greater than as if only my own 
men had been employed. Besides the fact that 
William was thus continually working with 
strange men, he was harassed by large numbers 
of amateur detectives, to whose stories the com- 
pany's officers too often lent a ready ear. Indeed, 
every express agent in Tennessee, Kentucky, and 
Missouri seemed impressed with the idea that he 
was a naturally gifted detective,' and many were 
the annoying delays which resulted from their 
interference. 



BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 21 



CHAPTER II. 

Difficulties. — Blind Trails and False Scents. — A Series 
of Ilhistrations showing the Number of Officious 
People and Confidence Men that often seek Noto- 
riety and Profit through important Detective Opera- 
tions. 

THE art of detecting crime cannot be learned 
in a day, nor can the man of business un- 
derstand, without previous experience in the hab- 
its of criminals, the expedients which the boldest 
class of law-breakers adopt; hence none but skilled 
detectives can hope to cope with them. Yet often 
my clients insist on some certain method of pro- 
cedure wholly contrary to my judgment and ex- 
perience, until the total failure of their plan 
convinces them that there can be but one 
thoroughly successful mode of detection, namely, 
to submit the case to a skilled detective of char- 
acter and standing, and allow him to act according 
to his judgment. 

The range of investigation in such a case as this 
robbery will often extend from New York to San 
Francisco, and unless one mind gathers up the 
clues, classifies the information, and determines 
the general plan, there will be continual error and 
delay. Such a state of affairs frequently occurred 
during this operation, and much time and money 
were spent upon matters too trifling even for con- 
sideration. 



je 



22 BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 

The principal of a detective agency, from his 
long experience with criminals, learns the ear- 
marks of different classes of men, and he is often 
able to determine the name of the guilty party in 
any given robbery by the manner in which the job 
was done. He can readily see whether a novice 
in crime was engaged, and also whether any col- 
lusion existed between the parties robbed and the 
criminals; and so, when he sees the traces of a 
bold, skillful, and experienced man, he knows that 
it is useless to track down some insignificant 
sneak-thief, simply because the latter happens to 
have been in the vicinity. Yet, neither will he 
slight the smallest clue if there is a bare chance 
that any valuable fact may be obtained from it. 
But the si7ie qua non is that he, and he alone, 
shall direct the whole affair. A divided responsi- 
bility simply doubles the criminal's opportunities 
for escape. 

Among the many difficulties of the detective's 
work, none are more embarrassing than the early 
development of false clues. In the stories here- 
tofore published, the direct steps leading to the 
detection and arrest of the criminals have been 
related, without referring to the innumerable 
other investigations, which were progressing sim- 
ultaneously, and which, though involving the 
expenditure of much thought, time, and money, 
proved after all to be of no value whatever in 
developing any evidence in the case. In this 
operation, such instances were of frequent occur- 
rence, and I propose to mention a few of them to 



BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 23 

show how wide is the range of the detective's 
inquiries, and also the annoying delays to which 
he is often subjected by the inconsiderate zeal 
and interference of outside parties. These latter 
may be — indeed, they generally are — well mean- 
ing people, anxious to serve the cause of justice; 
though, on the other hand, they are sometimes 
spiteful meddlers, striving to fix suspicion upon 
some personal enemy. 

The plan of detection which alone can insure 
success, must be one which neither forgets nor 
neglects anything. In investigating any alleged 
crime^ the first questions to be considered are: 
1. Has any crime been perpetrated, and, if so, 
what? 2. What was the object sought thereby? 

The matter of time, place, and means employed 
must then be carefully noted, and finally we come 
to consider: 1. Who are the criminals? 2. Where 
are they now? 3. How can they be taken? 

The fact that a crime has been committed is 
generally apparent, though there have been 
cases in which the determination of that point re- 
quires as much skill as the whole remainder of 
the operation. Such was the case in the detec- 
tion of Mrs. Pattmore's murder, related in my 
story of " The Murderer and the Fortune Teller." 
The object of a crime is also sometimes obscure, 
and, where such are the circumstances, the de- 
tection of the criminal is apt to be one of the most 
difficult of all operations. Having once solved 
these two difficulties satisfactorily, however, and 
having observed the relative bearings of time, 



24 BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 

place, and means to the crime itself, the question 
of individuals is the important one to be deter- 
mined. It often happens that there is no conceal- 
ment of identity, the problem to be solved being 
simply the way to catch the guilty parties; but, 
on the other hand, the greatest skill, experience, 
patience, and perseverance are sometimes required 
to discover, first of all, the persons engaged in the 
crime. Indeed, an operation is often divisible 
into two distinct methods of action, the first being 
to find out the identity of the criminals, the sec- 
ond to follow up and capture them. 

In the course of a blind trail, such as we were 
obliged to travel in the case of this express rob- 
bery, it was impossible to know whence the men 
had come or whither they had gone ; hence, I 
was forced to take up every trifling clue and fol- 
low it to the end. Even after I was satisfied in 
my own mind of the identity of the criminals, the 
agents and officers of the express company were 
continually finding mares' nests which they 
wished investigated, and the operation was some- 
times greatly hindered on this account. As an 
example of the number of discouragements which 
the detective must always expect to encounter, I 
propose to mention some of the false scents which 
we were forced to follow during this operation. 

Three or four days after William's arrival in 
Union City, he was informed by the superin- 
tendent of the express company having charge 
of the operation, that there was a young man in 
Moscow who could give important information 



BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 

relative to the first robbery at tliat place. This 
young man, Thomas Carr by namB, was a lawyer 
who had once had fine prospects, but he had be- 
come very dissipated, and he finally had been taken 
seriously ill, so that he had lost his practice. On 
recovering his health he had reformed his habits, 
but he had found great difficulty in winning back 
clients, and his income was hardly enough to 
support him. On learning that this impecuni- 
ous lawyer had valuable information, William 
strongly suspected that it would amount to little 
more than a good lie, invented to obtain money 
from the express company; nevertheless, he sent 
for the young man and heard his story. 

According to Carr, a man named John Wither- 
spoon had visited him about six weeks before, 
and had asked him whether he would like to get 
a large sum of money. Carr replied affirmatively, 
of course, and wished to know how it could be 
obtained. Witherspoon had said that the express 
company could be robbed very easily by boarding 
a train at any water-tank, overpowering the mes- 
senger, and making him open the safe. Wither- 
spoon also had said that he and several others 
had robbed a train at Moscow some weeks before, 
and that they had got only sixteen hundred dol- 
lars, but that they should do better next time. 
He had asked Carr to go to Cairo and find out 
when there would be a large shipment of money 
to the South; then Carr was to take the same 
train and give a signal to the rest of the party on 
arriving at the designated spot. 
3 



o^o BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 

On hearing Carr's story, William sent him back 
to Moscow with instructions to renew Ris inti- 
macy with Witherspoon, and to report any news 
he might learn at once; m case it should prove 
to be of any value, the company would pay him 
well for his services. It is hardly necessary to add 
that Mr. Carr, having failed to get, as he had 
hoped, a roving commission as detective at the 
company's expense, was not heard from again, 
his bonanza of news having run out very quickly 
on discovering that no money was to be paid in 
advance. 

The next case was a more plausible one, and 
William began its investigation with the feeling 
that something might be developed therefrom. 
It was learned that a former express messenger 
named Eobert Trunnion, who had been dis- 
charged several months before, had been hanging 
around Columbus, Kentucky, ever since. While 
in conversation with the clerk of a second-class 
hotel. Trunnion had spoken of the ease with 
which a few dettenined men could board an ex- 
press car, throw a blanket over the messenger's 
head, and then rob the safe. The clerk said that 
Trunnion had made the suggestion to him twice, 
and the second time he had given Trunnion a 
piece of his mind for making such a proposition. 
Trunnion had then said he was only fooling, and 
that he did not mean anything by it. William 
learned that Trunnion was then engaged in selling 
trees for a nursery at Clinton, Kentucky, and that 
he was regarded as a half -cracked, boasting fool, 



BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 27 

who might be anything bad, if he were influenced 
by bold, unscrupulous men. William therefore 
paid a visit to Mr. Trunnion, whom he found to 
be a very high-toned youth, too fiery -tempered 
and sensitive to submit to any questioning as to 
his words or actions. In a very brief space of 
time, however, his lordly tone came down to a 
very humble acknowledgment that he had used 
the language attributed to him; but he protested 
that he had meant nothing; in short, his confes- 
sion was not only complete, but exceedingly 
candid; he admitted that he was a gas-bag and a 
fool, without discretion enough to keep his tongue 
from getting him into trouble continually; and, 
having clearly shown that he was nowhere in the 
vicinity of either robbery, he asked humbly not 
to be held responsible for being a born idiot. 
William was satisfied that the fellow had told 
the truth, and, after scaring him out of all his 
high-toned pride, he let him go, with a severe 
lecture on the danger of talking too much. 

On the nineteenth of November, when the iden- 
tity of the robbers had been fully established, 
William was called away to luka, Mississippi, on 
information received from Mr. O'Brien, the gen- 
eral superintendent of the express company, that 
a man named Santon had seen the leader of the 
party in that place, just a week before. Santon 
represented that he knew the man well, having 
been acquainted with him for years in Cairo, and 
that he could not be mistaken, as he had spoken 
with him on the day mentioned. William found 



28 BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 

that the man Santon was a natural har, who could 
not tell the truth even when it was for his inter- 
est to do so. The descriptions of the various rob- 
bers had been scattered broadcast everywhere, 
and none of them were represented as over thirty- 
five years of age; yet Santon said that his man 
was over fifty years old, and that he had been a 
pilot on the Mississippi for years. This was a 
case — not an infrequent one, either — where peo- 
ple talk and lie about a crime for the sole purpose 
of getting a little temporary notoriety. Owing to 
various accidents and railway detentions, Wil- 
liam lost three days in going to hunt up this lying 
fellow's testimony. 

Perhaps the most impudent of all the stories 
brought to the express company's officers was 
that of a man named Swing, living at Columbus, 
Kentucky. He sent a friend to Union City to tell 
them that he could give them a valuable clue to 
the identity of the robbers, and Wilham accom- 
panied this friend back to Columbus. On the 
way, William drew out all that Swing's friend 
knew about the matter, and satisfied himself 
that S^\ang's sole object in sending word to the 
officers of the company was to get them to do a 
piece of detective work for him. It appeared that 
his nephew had stolen one of his horses just after 
the robbery, and he intended to tell the company's 
officers that this nephew had been engaged in the 
robbery; then if the company captured the 
nephew, Swing hoped to get back his horse. A 
truly brilliant scheme it was, but, unfortunately 



BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 29 

for his expectations, William could not be misled 
by his plausible story; and, if he ever recovered 
his horse, he did so without the assistance of the 
express company. Nevertheless, he took Wil- 
liam away from his work for nearly a whole day, 
at a time when his presence was almost indis- 
pensable. 

Another pecuHar phase of a detective's experi- 
ence is, that while following up one set of crim- 
inals, he may accidentally unearth the evidences 
of some other crime; occasionally it happens that 
he is able to arrest the criminals thus unexpect- 
edly discovered, but too often they take the alarm 
and escape before the interested parties can be put 
in possession of th»^ facts. About two weeks after 
the Union City robbery, in the course of my ex- 
tended inquiries by telegraph, I came across a 
pair of suspicious characters in Kansas City, Mis- 
souri. I learned that two fine-looking women 
had arrived in that city with about eight thousand 
dollars in ^ve, ten, and twenty dollar bills, which 
they were trying to exchange for bills of a larger 
denomination. The women were well dressed, 
but they were evidently of loose character, and 
the possession of so much money by two females 
of that class excited suspicion instantly in the 
minds of the bankers to whom they applied, and 
they could not make the desired exchange. One 
of the women was a blonde and the other was a 
brunette. They were about of the same height, 
and they dressed in such marked contrast as to 
set each other off to the best advantage; indeed, 



30 BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 

their di^esses seemed to have attracted so much 
attention that I could gain very httle acquaintance 
with their personal appearance. I could not con- 
nect them in any way with the robbery at Union 
City, nor with any other recent crime, though I 
had little doubt that the money they had with 
them was the proceeds of some criminal transac- 
tion; still, having my hands full at that time, it 
would have been impossible for me to look after 
them, even had I thought best to do so. As it is my 
practice to imdertake investigations only when 
engaged for the purpose by some responsible per- 
son, I did not waste any time in endeavoring to 
discover the source whence these women obtained 
their money; though, of course, had I learned 
enough about them to suspect them of complicity 
in any specific crime, I should have reported my 
suspicions to the parties interested, to enable them 
to take such action as they might have seen fit. 

The most important of all the false clues 
brought out in this investigation was presented 
by a noted confidence man and horse-thief named 
Charles Lavalle, alias Hildebrand. I call it the 
most important, not because I considered it of any 
value at the time, but because it illustrates one of 
the most profitable forms of confidence operation, 
and because the express company, by refusing to 
accept my advice in the matter, were put to a 
large expense with no possibility of a return. 

Very shortly after the Union City robbery, a 
letter was received from a man in Kansas City, 
calling himself Charles Lavalle. The writer 



BLIND TRAILS AND FALSE SCENTS. 31 

claimed that he had been with the gang who had 
robbed the train, but that they had refused to 
divide with him, and so, out of revenge, he was 
anxious to bring them to punishment. He claimed 
further that he was then in the confidence of an- 
other party, who were soon going to make another 
raid upon the express company somewhere be- 
tween New Orleans and Mobile. 

The plausibility of his story was such that he 
obtained quite a large sum from the express 
company to enable him to follow up and re- 
main with the gang of thieves with whom 
he professed to be associated. No news was 
received from him, however, and at length 
I was requested to put a '^shadow" upon 
his track. My operative followed him to 
St. Joseph, Missouri, and thence to Quincy, Illi- 
nois, but, during two weeks of close investigation, 
no trace of the villains in Lavalle's company could 
be found, and he was never seen in the society of 
any known burglars or thieves. It was soon evi- 
dent that he was playing upon the express com- 
pany a weU-worn confidence game, which has 
been attempted probably every time a large rob- 
bery has occurred in the last fifteen years. He 
became very importunate for more money while 
in Quincy, as he stated that the gang to which 
he belonged were ready to start for New Orleans; 
but, finding that his appeals were useless, and 
that no more money w^ould be advanced until 
some of his party were actually discovered and 
trapped through his agency, he soon ceased writ- 
ing:. 



V 



32 MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 

The foregoing are only a few of the instances 
in which our attention was diverted from the 
real criminals; and, although the efforts of my 
operatives were rarely misdirected in any one af- 
fair for any length of time, still these false alarms 
were always a source of great annoyance and em- 
barrassment. 



CHAPTER III. 

^^Old IlicJcSy'^ a drunken Planter^ is entertained hy a 
Smiting -party . — Lester^s Landing. — Its Grocery- 
sf<^e and Mysterious Merchants. — A dangerous 
Situation and a desperate Encounter. — The unfor- 
tunate Escape of Ttoo of the Mohbers. 

ONE of the most direct sources of information 
relative to the party was found in the per- 
son, of an old planter, named Hicks, who lived 
some distance down the track of the railroad. He 
was in the habit of visiting Union City very fre- 
quently, and he usually rounded off his day's 
pleasure by becoming jovially drunk, in which 
condition he would start for his home, walking 
down the railroad track. He had been in Union 
City all of Friday before the robbery, and about 
ten o'clock in the evening he was in a state of 
happy inebriety, ready to "hail fellow, well met," 
with any person he might encounter. 

On his way home, about three-quarters of a mile 
west of Union City, he saw a camp-fire burning a 



MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 33 

short distance from the track, and around it were 
gathered Hyb men. They hailed him, and asked 
him to take a drink ; and as this was an invitation 
which Hicks could not refuse, even from the devil 
himself, he joined them, drank with them, and 
danced a hornpipe for their edification. Hicks 
acknowledged in his account of meeting them, that 
by the time they had made him dance for them, 
he was heartily frightened at their looks and talk. 
He heard one of them say that they wanted ten 
thousand at least, but he could not tell what the 
remark referred to. He asked them why they 
were camping out, and one, who seemed to be the 
leader of the party, said they were out hunting.' 

*' Yes," continued another one, ''I am out hunt- 
ing for somebody's girl, and when I find her we 
are going to run away together." 

At this, they all laughed, as if there was some 
hidden meaning in his words. 

Hicks described all of the men, three of them 
quite minutely ; but the fourth was evidently the 
same as the second, and the fifth was lying down 
asleep all the time, so that Hicks could not tell 
much about him. They were armed with large 
navy revolvers, which they wore in belts, and 
their clothing was quite good. The tall man, who 
seemed to be the leader, related an account of a 
deer-hunt in which he had participated, in Fay- 
ette county, Illinois, on the Kaskaskia river, and 
when he mentioned the place, the others scowled 
and winked at him, as if to stop him. Hicks said 
that they seemed to be familiar with Cincinnati, 

2* 



34: MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 

Louisville, Evansville, and other northern cities, 
and that they talked somewhat like Yankees. 
He remained with them until about midnight, 
when a negro came down the track. Hicks and 
the negro then went on together to Hicks's house, 
leaving the five men still camped in the woods. 

Other persons reported having seen the same 
party in the same vicinity several times before 
the night of the robbery, though some had seen 
only two, others three and four ; but no one, ex- 
cept Hicks, had seen five. The accounts given by 
the persons near the train when the robbery oc- 
curred did not show the presence of more than 
three persons, though possibly there might have 
been a fourth. The descriptions of the suspected 
parties were quite varied in some respects ; yet 
the general tenor of them was to the same effect, 
and, as no one knew who these persons were, it 
was quite certain that this quartette of strangers 
had committed the robbery. 

In the case of the Moscow robbery, we had 
strongly suspected two notorious thieves, named 
Jack Nelson and Miles Ogle, so that my first ac- 
tion, on learning of this second affair in the same 
vicinity, was to telegraph to my correspondents 
and agents throughout the country, to learn 
whether either of these men had been seen lately. 
I could gain no news whatever, except from St. 
Louis, whence an answer was returned to the 
effect that Nelson was said to be stopping some- 
where in the country back of Hickman, Ken- 
tucky. Ogle's wife was in St. Louis, and she had 



MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 35 

been seen by a detective walking and talking earn- 
estly with a strange man a short time previous. 
The information about Nelson was important, 
since, if true, it showed that he was in the imme- 
diate neighborhood of the points where the rob- 
beries had occurred. The man seen with Mrs. 
Ogle might have been one of the party, sent by 
her husband to appoint a future rendezvous. The 
description of the tall, dark man, mentioned by 
Hicks and others, talhed very closely with Ogle's 
appearance. My son, Wilham, was well advised 
of these facts, and, as soon as he had obtained the 
statements of every one acquainted with any of 
the occurrences at the time of the robbery, he was 
ready for action. 

His first inquiries were directed toward discov- 
ering where Nelson was staying near Hickman, 
and he learned in a very short time that this ru- 
mor had no truth in it. While making search for 
Nelson, however, he heard of a low grocery- store 
at Lester's Landing, about twelve miles below 
Hickman on the Mississippi River. The store 
was situated four miles from any other house in 
a sparsely settled country, where the amount of 
legitimate trade would hardly amount to twelve 
hundred dollars per year. It was said to be the 
resort of a very low class of men, and the propri- 
etors passed for river gamblers. 

On William's return to Union City from Hick- 
man, he decided to make a visit to this grocery- 
store to learn something about the men who fre- 
quented it. Having none of his own men with 



36 MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 

him, he chose one of the express company's de- 
tectives, named Patrick Connell, to accompany 
him, and, on the last day of October, they started 
on horseback, with an old resident named Bledsoe 
for a guide. On arriving at the house of a well-to- 
do planter, named Wilson Merrick, they obtained 
considerable information about the men who kept 
the store and the people who visited it. 

Mr. Merrick said that a man named John Wes- 
ley Lester kept a wood-yard on the Mississippi, 
and the spot was called Lester's Landing. About 
three or four months before, three men arrived 
there and obtained leave from Lester to put up a 
store, which they stocked with groceries and 
whisky. The men gave their names as J. H. 
Clark, Ed. J. EusseU, and William Barton, and 
they seemed to have some means, as the store 
did only a limited business, except in whisky. 
They were all men of abihty and determination, 
and, as they were always well armed, the people 
of the cane-brake country were rather afraid of 
them. Nothing positive was known against 
them, but it was suspected from their looks and 
actions that they were Northern desperadoes lying 
quiet for a time. They seemed to be well ac- 
quainted in Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, 
Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans, but they 
were careful never to give any hint of their pre- 
vious place of residence in the hearing of stran- 
gers. Mr. Merrick had, however, heard EusseU 
say that he had once run a stationary engine in 
Missouri, and from occasional expressions Jiv 



MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 37 

Barton it would appear that the latter had once 
worked on a railroad in some capacity. They 
dressed quite well, and treated strangers politely, 
though not cordially. Although they were all 
three rather hard drinkers, they never became 
intoxicated, and they seemed to understand each 
other well enough not to quarrel among them- 
selves. Clark was the oldest of the party, but 
Eussell seemed to be the leader, Barton being ap- 
parently quite a young man. They stated that 
they intended to exchange groceries for fish and 
game, and ship the latter articles to St. Louis 
and Memphis. 

From the description of the men, William be- 
gan to suspect that they formed a portion of the 
party of robbers, and he determined to push on 
at once. He induced a young man named Gor- 
don to go with him as guide and to assist in mak- 
ing the arrest of these men, if he should deem it 
advisable. By hard riding they succeeded in 
reaching Lester's Landing before nightfall, but 
the twilight was fast fading as they came out of 
the dense underbrush and cane-brake into the 
clearing around Lester's log-cabin. 

The spot was dreary and forlorn in the extreme. 
The river was then nearly at low water, and its 
muddy current skirted one side of the clearing at 
a distance of about thirty yards from the house. 
The wood-yard and landing at the water's level 
were some ten or fifteen feet below the rising 
ground upon which the house stood. The store 
was a shanty of rough pine boards with one door 



38 MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 

and one window, and it stood at the head of the 
diagonal path leading from the landing to the liigh 
ground. A short distance back was a rail fence 
surrounding Lester's house and corn-field, and 
back of this clearing, about one hundred yards 
from the house, was a dense cane-brake. The 
corn-stalks had never been cut, and, as they grew 
very high and thick within twenty feet of the 
house, they offered a good cover to any one ap- 
proaching or retreating through them. A rough 
log barn stood a short distance inside the rail 
fence, and, like the house, it was raised several 
feet above the ground, on account of the annual 
overflow of the whole tract. The house was a 
rather large building built of logs, the chinks be- 
ing partly filled with mud, but it was in a dilapi- 
dated condition, the roof being leaky and the 
sides partly open, where the mud had fallen out 
from between the timbers. 

On entering the clearing, Wilham's party rode 
up to the store and tried to enter, but, finding 
the door locked, they approached the house. At 
the rail fence, William and Connell dismounted, 
leaving Gordon and Bledsoe to hold their horses. 
•Up to this time, they had seen no signs of life 
about the place, and they began to think that the 
birds had flown. The quiet and the absence of men 
about the clearing did not prevent William from 
exercising his usual caution in approaching the 
house; but he did consider it unnecessary to take 
any str'^nger force into an apparently unoccupied 
log-cabm, where at most he had only vague sus- 



MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 39 

picions of finding the objects of his search; 
hence, he left Gordon and Bledsoe behind. Know- 
ing the general construction of this class of 
houses to be the same, he sent Connell to the rear, 
while he entered the front door. A wide hall di- 
vided the house through the center, and the occu- 
pants of the house were in the room on the right. 
William's door leading into the room opened 
from this hall, while Connell's was a direct en- 
trance from the back porch, and there were no 
other doors to the room. 

As the two strangers entered simultaneously, 

five men, a woman, and a girl started to their 

feet and demanded what they wanted. The 

situation was evidently one of great danger to 

the detectives ; one glance at the men, coupled 

with the fierce tones of their inquiries, showrjci 

William that he had entered a den of siiakes 

without adequate force ; but it was too late to 

retreat, and he replied that they vv-ere strangers 

who, having lost their way, desired info, inatiou. 

The scene was a striking one^ and it i'emains as 

vividly in William's mind to-day, as if it bad 

occurred but yesterday: tn the center of the 

room, opposite him, was a broad fireplace, in 

which the smouldering legs feebly burned and 

gave forth the only light in the room. In one 

corner stood several shot-guns, and in another, 

four or five heavy axes. Grouped about near 

the fire, in different attitudes of surprise, defiance, 

and alarm, were the occupants of the cabin, 

while to the left, in the half-open door, stood 



40 MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 

Connell. The flickering flame of the rotten wood 
gave a most unsatisfactory Hght, in which they 
all seemed nearly as dark as negroes, so that 
William asked the woman to light a candle. She 
rephed that they had none, and at the same 
moment a young fellow tried to slip by Connell, 
but he was promptly stopped. Another large, 
powerful man, whose name afterward proved to 
be Burtine, again demanded, with several oaths, 
what their business was. 

^^IVe told you once that I want some informa- 
tion," replied William, "and now I intend to 
have you stop here until I can take a look at your 
faces." 

While William was making them stand up in 
hue against the wall, one of the largest drew a 
Bavy revolver quickly and fired straight at 
^^^'^illiam's stomach, the ball just cutting the flesh 

1 his left side. At the same instant, the young 

jllow oroviously mentioned, darted out the door, 
Connell having sprang to William's side, thinking 
him seriously wounded. Connell's approach pre- 
vented WilHani from returning the fire of the 
tall man, who had jumped for the door also the 
moment he had fired. William fired two shots 
at him through the doox way, and Connell followed 
him instantly, on seeing that Wilham was un- 
hurt. Once outside, the tall fellow sprang behind 
a large cottonwood tree and fired back at Connell 
and William, who were in full view on the porch. 
The second shot struck Connell in the pit of the 
stomach, and he fell backward. At this moment, 



\ ^ 



MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 41 

the powerful ruffian, Burtine, seized WilKam 
from behind and tried to drag him down, at the 
same time caUing for a shot-gun 'Ho finish the 

Yankee ." Turning suddenly upon 

his assailant, William raised his revolver, a heavy 
Tranter, and brought it down twice, with all his 
force, upon Burtine's head. The man staggered 
at the first blow and fell at the second, so that, 
by levehng his revolver at the other two, William 
was able to cow them into submission. The 
affray had passed so quickly that it was wholly 
over before Gordon and Bledsoe could reach the 
house, though they had sprung from their horses 
on hearing the first shot. 

The two men had escaped by this time into the 
dense cane-brake back of the house, and it was 
necessary to attend to those who had been se- 
cured, and to examine the injuries of Connell and 
Burtine. The latter's head was in a pretty bad 
condition, though no serious results were likely 
to follow, while Connell had escaped a mortal 
wound by the merest hair's breadth. He was 
dressed in a heavy suit of Kentucky jeans, with 
large iron buttons down the front of the coat. 
The ball had struck one of these buttons, aiid, in- 
stead of passing straight through his vitals, it had 
glanced around his side, cutting a deep flesh fur- 
row nearly to the small of his back, where it had 
gone out. The shock of the blow had stunned 
him somewhat, the button having been forced 
edgewise some distance into the flesh, but his 
wound was very trifling, and he was able to go 



42 MYSTEPJOUS IMERCHANTS. 

on with the search with very httle inconvenience. 
Having captured three out of the five inmates of 
the cabin, WiUiam felt as though he had done as 
much as could have been expected of two men 
under such circumstances, and he then began a 
search of the premises to see whether any evi- 
dence of their connection with the robbery could 
be found. Absolutely no clue whatever was ob- 
tained in the cabin and barn, nor did the store 
afford any better results so far as the robbery was 
concerned, but on this point William was already 
satisfied, and he was anxious to get all informa- 
tion possible about these so-called storekeepers. 
In the store, he found bills and invoices showing 
that the stock of goods had been purchased in 
Evansville, but there was no other writing of any 
character except some scribbling, apparently done 
in an idle moment, upon some fragments of 
paper in a drawer. On one was written: ''Mrs. 
Kate Graham, Farmington, 111."; and on another, 
amid many repetitions of the name, " Kate Gra- 
ham," were the words, " My dear cousin." 

Having found very little of value, the party re- 
turned to the three prisoners and closely exam- 
ined them. To William's intense chagrin, he 
found that these men were, undoubtedly, mere 
wood-choppers living with Lester and having no 
connection with the proprietors of the store. 
Although desperate, brutal, and reckless, ready 
for a fight at all times, as shown in this affray, 
they were clearly not the train robbers, while it 
was equaUy evident that the two who had escaped 
were the guilty pai-ties. 



MYSTERIOUS MERCHANTS. 43 

William learned that the young man who had 
first slipped out was Barton, and the man who 
had done the shooting was EusselL Clark, they 
said, had taken the steamer for Cape Girardeau, 
Missouri, two days before, accompanied by a 
married woman, named Slaughter. The descrip- 
tion of the train robbers tallied so well with the 
appearance of Barton and Eussell, that, taking 
their actions into consideration, there could no 
longer be any doubt of their complicity in the 
affair, and it was highly provoking that these 
two should have escaped. Still, it was an acci- 
dent which could hardly have been avoided. The 
fact that the express company would not consent 
to the employment of a larger force of detectives 
was the principal cause of this misfortune, for it 
could have been prevented easily, had William 
been accompanied by two more good men of my 
force. 

As it was, two detectives, dropping unexpect- 
edly upon a nest of five villainous-looking men in 
the dark, could have hardly hoped to do better 
than to secure three of them. It could not have, 
been supposed that they would know which were 
the important ones to capture, especially as they 
could not distinguish one from another in the 
uncertain hght. Indeed, as afterward appeared, 
they were fortunate in having escaped alive, for 
the close approach to fatal wounds, which they 
both received, showed how deadly had been the 
intentions of the man Eussell, while Burtine had 
evidently intended that they should never leave 
the house aUve. 



44 THE CAPTURED RUFFIANS. 

It may be supposed that the shooting on both 
sides was none of the best, but it must be remem- 
bered that it began without warning, and was 
over in two minutes. It cannot be expected that 
snap-shooting, even at close quarters, should be 
very accurate; yet it was afterward learned that 
EusseU's escape had been about as narrow as 
WiUiam's, two balls having passed through his 
clothes and grazed his flesh. 



CHAPTEE IV. 

The Captured Ruffians are desired for Guides, but dare 
not join in the Search for the Outlaios. — One of 
the Mobhers is Taken, but subsequently Escapes from 
the Amateur Detectives. — Another Clue suddenly 
Fails. 

HAVING searched the whole place, and sat- 
isfied himself that the men captured had 
had no connection with the robbery or the rob- 
bers, William offered them one hundred dollars 
to act as guides through the cane-brake to arrest 
Barton and Eussell. They said they could not if 
they would, since no man could find his way 
there in broad daylight, much less at night. They 
further admitted that they dare not attempt it, as 
Eussell would kill them if they learned of their 
action. It was now pitch dark, and after a vain 



THE CAPTURED RUFFIANS. 45 

attempt to beat through the cane in search of the 
fugitives, WiUiam decided to return to Mr. Mer- 
rick's until next day. 

The next morning at daybreak he started back 
for Lester's, accompanied by a number of the 
cane-brake population, all of whom were anxious 
to secure the one hundred dollars reward. They 
had long suspected the men at the store of being 
desperadoes, but they had had a wholesome fear 
of them on account of their fierce ways and their 
reckless habit of drawing their revolvers on slight 
provocation. 

On arriving at Lester's, the party found that 
Lester had returned from Hickman during the 
night. He was a treacherous-looking scoundrel, 
and his reputation was bad, although he had 
never been caught in any crime in that vicinity. 
His name, John Wesley Lester, showed that he 
must have once belonged to a pious Methodist 
family, and, indeed, he claimed to have once 
been a Methodist preacher himself. He had 
sunken eyes, milky white, and his hair was lank 
and long; his complexion was dark, cheeks hol- 
low, chin pointed, and forehead low. His man- 
ner was fawning and obsequious to those above 
him, and he looked and acted like a second 
*' Uriah Heap." He pretended to know nothing 
of Russell, Clark, and Barton, except that they 
had come to his place in July, built the store 
there, and had been around the landing more or 
less ever since. He said that he knew nothing 
against them, except that they were gamblers, 



) 



46 THE CAPTURED RUFFIANS. 

and that they often went off on gambhng excur- 
sions, during one of which, according to their 
own statements, they had killed a man in a quar- 
rel. 

WilHam learned from Lester's daughter that 
Barton had returned during the night to get a 
shawl, blanket, and two shot-guns. He had 
told her that Eussell was hurt pretty badly, but 
that they intended to take the first packet down 
the river. From other parties William learned 
^that the packet Julia had passed down during the 
night, and had stopped at a point about seven 
miles below, having been hailed from the bank. 
He did not place much faith in the theory that the 
men had taken passage by the Julia, for the rea- 
son that Lester's girl was too anxious to tell the 
story of the route Barton proposed taking. He 
discovered that Barton had been paying lover-like 
attentions to the girl, and he believed that Bar- 
ton had instructed her to say that he intended 
taking the next packet, in order to give them a false 
scent. Having set the men of the neighborhood 
at work searching for Eussell and Barton, Wil- 
liam returned to Union City. 

From Hickman Connell was sent to Cape 
Girardeau, Missouri, to capture Clark, who was 
said to have gone there three days before. 

On the arrival of William in Union City, the 
superintendent telegraphed to me the result of 
William's visit to Lester's Landing, and au- 
thorized me to send an operative to Farmington, 
Illinois, to hunt up Mrs. Kate Graham, and learn 



TfiE CAPTURED RUFFIANS. 4T 

what she could tell about RussjU, Clark, and 
Barton. A man was sent there the next day, and 
he had no difficulty in finding Mrs. Graham, who 
proved to be the wife of a highly respectable 
business man. She was a member of the church, 
and was held in high esteem by every one ac- 
quainted with her. My agent, therefore, called 
upon her without any circumlocution or deception, 
and asked to see her on business. She was con- 
fined to her room by illness, but she saw him 
for a few minutes, and answered his questions so 
frankly that there was no doubt she was telling 
the truth. She stated that she was not ac- 
quainted with any one living at Lester's Landing; 
that she did not know, nor ever had known, any 
persons of the names given (Eussell, Clark, and 
Barton); and that she knew no one who would 
answer to their descriptions. This clue seemed to 
come to an end very quickly, yet it afterward 
proved to be the means by which we captured one 
of the gang, and it was a striking instance of the 
necessity for the most careful and minute inquiry 
upon every point of news obtained, especially 
upon those received directly from the criminals 
themselves. 

On the 3d of November, Connell went with a 
constable to the house of Mrs. Gully, the mother 
of Clark's companion, Mrs. Slaughter, and there 
he found them both. Clark was surprised by the 
officers, but he made a bold fight, and was over- 
powered with difficulty. When finally hand- 
cuffed and searched, a navy revolver and fifty 



4:8 THE CAPTURED RUFFIANS. 

dollars in money were taken from him; he was 
then taken nine miles on horseback to Cape Girar- 
deau, where Connell obtained a hght wagon to 
drive sixteen miles to Allenville, on the railroad 
leading to Hickman. On this trip Connell made 
the mistake of trusting to handcuffs alone, in- 
stead of securely fastening his prisoner's feet 
with rope. The idea that one man in handcuffs 
could escape from two active, unimpeded men did 
not, however, occur to Connell, and so the con- 
stable drove the horse, while Clark and Connell 
occupied the back seat. In justice to Connell, it 
should be stated that he had been constantly in 
the saddle for several days in raw and rainy 
weather, and had had very httle sleep for two 
nights previous/ 

About nine o'clock in the evening, when only a 
mile from Allenville, Clark suddenly made a leap 
out of the wagon. The horse was jogging along 
at a good trot, and, though Connell sprang after 
his prisoner instantly, it was a couple of minutes 
before the constable could follow. As he ran, 
Connell fired at the dim figure disappearing in 
the thick brush; but the next instant he pitched 
headlong into a deep mud-hole, and, by the time 
he got out, the cylinder of his revolver was 
choked with mud, and Clark was far in advance. 
The chase was kept up as long as the pursuers 
were able to distinguish the direction of his flight, 
])ut, in tho darkness of the gloomy woods, it was 
impossible to follow an athletic fellow like Clark 
with any hope of success. Connell returned to 



\ 

) 

THE CAPTURED RUFFIANS. 49 

Union City very much crestfallen, and reported 
his misfortune. My first feeling, on learning the 
news, was one of deep regret and anxiety at the 
loss of one of the leaders of the gang; my second 
thought was one of profound thankfulness that 
my men were in no way responsible for it. The 
situation was an illustration of the disappoint- 
ments and difficulties which are so often met in a 
detective's experience; and, though I felt some- 
what discouraged, I was more than ever deter- 
mined that none of these men should eventually 
escape, even though it should be necessary to fol- 
low them for months. 

The desire of the express company to employ 
as few as possible of my operatives embarrassed 
me exceedingly, for William was obliged to de- 
pend upon strangers, and he had little confidence 
in their abihty or discretion. He was now satis- 
fied of the identity of the parties he was in search 
of, and all that he needed was a small force of ex- 
perienced and reliable men. 

Had I been limited and interfered with in the 
Maroney case, described in " The Expressman and 
the Detective," as I was in this, there is no doubt 
that I might have failed to capture the criminal ; 
but the cordial cooperation and support of the 
Adams Express Company gave me a fair oppor- 
tunity to work to good advantage, and victory 
was the result. 



60 A RICH LEAD. 



CHAPTEE V. 

A. Mich Lead Struch at Last. 

WILLIAM was quite sure, from the reputa- 
tion and actions of Eussell, Clark, and 
Barton, that they had been the leaders in the rob- 
bery, and he believed that Lester could give im- 
portant information about them ; he therefore 
caused Lester to be brought to Union City, and, 
on November 5, he succeeded in getting a state- 
ment of the doings of these men since Lester had 
known them. The important points developed 
were as follows : 

They came to Lester's Landing in the middle of 
July, and built their store. They were rarely 
there together, as they would go off for two or 
three weeks at a time, leaving Barton or Clark in 
charge, and sometimes putting Lester in as store- 
keeper during the absence of all three. On one 
occasion, Eussell showed him a pocket-book con- 
taining nearly one thousand dollars, which he 
thought he had lost, but which he found under a 
rail fence where he had hidden it ; the other men, 
also, seemed to have plenty of money. About 
the middle of October, the three storekeepers 
went away, and were gone until October 24, three 
days after the robbery, on which day Lester met 
Clark and Barton walking toward his house, on 
the way from Hickman. They seemed quite ex- 



A RICH LEAD. 51 

cited, and said that they had been engaged in a 
difficulty, but they did not state what it was. 
They asked him whether he had seen Eussell re- 
cently, and also whether there was a skiff at his 
landing ; both questions were answered nega- 
tively, and they passed on toward the store, while 
Lester continued his walk to Hickman. On his 
return at night, he found that Clark and Barton 
had been across the river all day, scouting the 
Missouri shore for Eussell, and that shortly after 
their return, Eussell had come across the river in 
a skiff. Eussell said that he had been shot, but 
that he was not much hurt, and he did not seem 
to act as if he had been hurt at all. Sunday morn- 
ing, October 29, Clark took passage in a steamer 
for Cape Girardeau, having Mrs. Slaughter in 
company, and it was understood that he was go- 
ing with Mrs. Slaughter to the house of her 
mother, nine miles from the Cape. Tuesday 
evening, William and Connell arrived at Lester's, 
the fight took place, and Barton and Eussell 
escaped. After the detectives had gone back to 
Campbell's, Barton returned to the house and 
obtained a shawl, blanket, and two shot-guns ; 
he said that they would never be taken alive, but 
that Eussell had been badly wounded by one of 
the detectives. William had left two men at the 
landing the next day to capture the men if they 
returned, but they were afraid to attempt it, al- 
though they had a good opportunity that night. 
Eussell came into the house alone, showing no 
signs of having been wounded, and said that he 



62 A RICH LEAD. 

and Barton had joined four friends, who were 
outside waiting for him ; that they were all well 
mounted and armed, and that they intended to 
kill any one who should betray them or attempt 
their capture. He added that they intended to 
make their way on horseback to Alabama, and 
that they were strong enough to fight their way 
through, if necessary. Of course, Eussell's object 
was to frighten the detectives and others who 
were searching for him, as he had no one with 
him except Barton. 

Among other points of value in Lester's state- 
ment, was some incidental information relative 
to the men, which he had learned during the time 
they boarded with him. He had heard Clark say 
that his mother lived sixty miles back of Nash- 
ville, and Russell had once run a stationary engine 
in Missouri. Lester was shown the satchel found 
on the engine after the robbery, and he recog- 
nized it as having been left at his house once by 
a wood-chopper named Bill Taylor, who lived in 
the cane-brake, some distance below him. He 
said that the three men each carried a navy re- 
volver and a derringer, while Eussell had also a 
new, large-sized Smith & Wesson revolver. 

Meantime, the telegraph had been used con- 
stantly to learn something about the three men, 
Eussell, Clark, and Barton, from whatever source 
information could be obtained. Barton was well 
known in Nashville, New Madrid, and Union 
City. He was quite young, but he had been in- 
volved in a stabbing affray in Nashville, and was 



A RICH LEAD. 53 

regarded as a desperate character. He had been 
respectably brought up by Major Landis, General 
Agent of the Nashville and Northwestern Eail- 
road, and had been given a place m the employ 
of that road, with good prospects for promotion. 
Having become dissipated and hardened, he had 
been discharged from his position, and Major 
Landis had cast him off ; thenceforward, his 
career had been rapid in the downward direction. 

With regard to the other two men, little could 
be learned, until a rich lead was struck on the 
seventh of November. The corrected descriptions 
of the different parties having been sent to all the 
agents of the express company, Mr. Charles Pink, 
agent at Cairo, recognized Eussell as a man who 
had sent eight hundred dollars in currency from 
Cairo to Mrs. M. Farrington, Gillem Station, Ten- 
nessee, on the eleventh of September, and who 
had then started, according to his own statement, 
for his home in Illinois. Mr. Pink also stated 
that the chief of police in Cairo claimed to know" ' 
Eussell, and to be able to find him — for a suffi- 
cient consideration. Not having any use for the 
services of this disinterested officer, his offer was 
politely declined. 

The superintendent of the express company 
was strongly impressed with the belief that Eus- 
sell and Barton were lurking around Lester's, and 
so, while William went to Nashville to see what 
could be learned about Barton and his compan- 
ions, a number of men were hired to scour the 
country, hunt through the brake, and guard the 



54 A RICH LEAD. 

Mississippi ferries, while Connell and Crowley, 
the express messenger, were placed on the Mis- 
souri bank, to scout that side of the river. I may 
say here, en passant, that, with the exception of 
the two named, these men were a source not only 
of great unnecessary expense to the company, 
but of vexation and hindrance to William. In 
most cases, their scouting consisted in riding the 
high-roads from one tavern to another, and in 
order to have something to show for their work, 
they would bring in every species of wild and 
foolish rumor that they could discover or invent. 
As the superintendent frequently desired that 
these reports should be investigated, much valu- 
able time was thus wasted. These men were not 
only employed without my advice, but they were 
retained long a^fter I had urgently requested the 
discharge of the whole party, and I had great 
difficulty in obtaining their discharge, even after 
I was positively sure that the robbers had crossed 
the Mississippi and escaped into Missouri. 

Wilham spent one day in Nashville, and then 
went to Gillem Station, where he learned that 
Mrs. Farrington, to whom Eussell had sent eight 
hundred dollars from Cairo, lived on an old, worn- 
out farm, and passed for a rich widow. She had 
three sons — Hillary, Levi, and Peter, the latter 
being quite young. Hillary and Levi Farrington 
bore a very bad reputation, having been mixed 
up in all kinds of fights and quarrels for a num- 
ber of years. They were suspected of horse- 
stealing and counterfeiting ; but most people were 



A RICH LEAD. 55 

afraid of them, and they had never been arrested 
in that vicinity. WiUiam here learned, also, that 
Barton had been a frequent visitor at the Farring- 
tons', and that he was as bad as the others. 
While at Gillem Station, William met Pete Far- 
rington, the youngest of the three brothers, and 
his resemblance to Eussell, whose face William 
had seen by the dim firelight and the flash of his 
pistol in the cabin at Lester's Landing, caused a 
sudden possibility to flash across his mind. He 
reasoned out the connection of the different facts 
about as follows : 

^^ Eussell was, undoubtedly, one of the Moscow 
and Union City robbers, and he obtained a con- 
siderable share of the plunder ; two ixionths after 
the first robbery, I find that he sent eight hun- 
dred dollars to Mrs. Farrington ; this establishes 
the connection of those two persons. Barton was 
one of the actors in both robberies, also, and I 
find that he was formerly intimate with Mrs. 
Farrington and her sons ; another link. Pete 
Farrington bears a strong resemblance to Eussell, 
their peculiar Eoman noses, with a lump in the 
middle, being exactly alike, and this creates a 
strong presumption that they belong to the same 
family. Now, Eussell and Clark were so similar 
in their general appearance, that many people 
who have seen them together believe them to 
have been brothers. Hillary and Levi Farring- 
ton, I am told, also closely resemble each other, 
and they have not been seen about here for some 
months, they being, according to their mother's 



56 ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 

account, in Texas. The chain of evidence is very 
complete ; what if Kussell and Clark should prove 
to be the Farrington brothers ! " 



CHAPTEE VI. 

The Mother of the Farringtons, being arrested, boasts 
that her Sons " Will never be taken Alive^ — Another 
Unfortunate Shmder by Amateur Detectives. — An 
i7iteresting Fate intended for the Detectives. — Wil- 
liam A. Pinherton captures the Murderer of a Negro 
171 Union City, pro^ving " a very good Fellow — for 
a Yankee.'''' — Aii Unfortunate Publication. — N^ig- 
ger - Wool Sioamp and its Outlaws. 

THE more William thought about it, the more 
convinced he became that his theory was 
correct, and he took steps to verify his suspicions 
by placing a watch upon Mrs. Farrington's move- 
ments. He also made arrangements to get pos- 
session of any letters that might come for her, 
and then, being hastily recalled by the superin- 
tendent of the express company, he hurried back 
to Union City. 

He there learned that, during his absence, Clark 
had talked with both Lester and his wife. The 
latter had warned him of his danger, and he had 
then disappeared in the cane-brake. The men 
stationed at Lester's for the express purpose of 
arresting any of the robbers who might come 
there, had been either unaware of Clark's visit, 



ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 57 

or else they had been afraid to attempt his cap- 
ture, and he had escaped again when almost 
within our grasp. William had, therefore, been 
called back by telegraph to take chargo of the 
men engaged in beating through the cane-brake, 
as it had been clearly demonstrated that, without 
a determined leader, these men w^re no more 
useful than a flock of sheep. The hunt w.nt on 
for several days with no results v/hatever, while 
at the same time scouts patroled the highways, 
and other men kept watch upon the ferries and 
fords for many miles around. 

While this was going on, the express agent at 
Gillem Station was keeping a close watch upon 
Mrs. Farrington, when suddenly she announced 
her intention of going to join her sons in Texas. 
Instead of sending word to William at once, the 
agent began operations on his own account, and 
when Mrs. Farrington arrived at Waverly, Ten- 
nessee, he caused her arrest. She had started 
with two new wagons and a complete outfit for 
an overland journey of some length, so that her 
progress could not have been very rapid, and 
nothing would have been lost by waiting for in- 
structions ; but the insane desire to play detective 
seemed to overpower all other considerations in 
the minds of the company's agents, and she was 
arrested by the sheriff and a posse of citizens. 
Her salutation to the officer who stopped her set- 
tled the question of identity at once, for, on being 
told that she would be obliged to let him search 
her wagons for certain men, she rephed : 
3* 



58 ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 

" Oh ! yes ; I know what you want. You would 
hke to find my two sons and Barton for the ex- 
press robbery ; but you will never catch them, for 
they are not now in this country, and they will 
never be taken alive." 

This piece of information led the express agent 
to take the only sensible step of his whole proceed- 
ing. Mrs. Farrington had two negro families 
with her, some of whom had belonged to her be- 
fore the war ; and, with the personal attachment 
noticeable in many of the colored people, they 
were now desirous of going West with her. It 
occurred to the agent that some of them, from 
their confidential relations to the family, might 
be able to give some information as to the where- 
abouts of the boys. The negroes were, therefore, 
taken separately and closely examined, until one 
of the men was urgently persuaded to reveal 
what he knew. He said that Levi, Hillary, and 
Barton had committed the robbery, and that they 
had since been at Mrs. Farrington's together. 
According to an agreepient between the mother 
and her sons, she was to start for Texas, passing 
through Nigger- Wool Swamp, on the west side of 
the Mississippi, and the two eldest sons were to 
meet her in the swamp, when they would deter- . 
mine where to go. 

The agent also learned that the men had ar- 
rived at their mother's house Friday evening, No- 
vember 10, and that a man who had gone there 
to sell her a wagon had been "met by Hillary Far- 
ring-ton with a shot-gun ; on seeing that it was a 



ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 59 

neighbor, however, Hillary had lowered his gun 
and allowed him to come in. It was also learned 
that the three desperadoes had been seen at the 
house of the Farringtons' uncle, named Douglas, 
on Hurricane Creek, about ten miles from Wav- 
erly ; again, on Monday, they had been noticed 
at Hurricane Mills, making their way to Fowler's 
Landing, on the Tennessee Eiver between Flor- 
ence and Johnsonville, fourteen miles from the 
last-named place. It was evident that they in- 
tended to strike across the country below Eeel's 
Foot Lake, and cross the Mississippi at some point 
between Columbus and Memphis. The men were 
all well mounted and armed, and they had 
changed their personal appearance somewhat by 
altering the arrangement of their hair, whiskers, 
and beards. 

The arrest of Mrs. Farrington was a most un- 
fortunate blunder, since it disclosed to the crim- 
inals how close had been their pursuit, while httle 
really important information was obtained. It 
was a good illustration of the danger of taking 
any decided step in a criminal investigation be- 
fore knowing to a certainty that some good result 
would be obtained. The parties thus learned that 
we were not only aware of their identity, but 
also that we were very close upon their track, and 
the danger, as well as the difficulty, of the case 
was largely increased. These men were despera- 
does of the most reckless type, and they would 
not have hesitated a moment to lie in ambush 
and kill their pursuers, if they had found it pos- 
sible to do so. 



60 ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 

In order to intercept the fugitives before reach- 
ing the swampy country near the Mississippi, the 
number of scouts and patroUing parties was in- 
creased by the superintendent of the express 
company, and two men, named Ball and Bledsoe, 
were engaged to follow Mrs. Farrington on horse- 
back until her sons should jom her in Nigger- 
Wool Swamp. This would have been a sensible 
and necessary move if the right kind of men had 
been employed ; but the selection of untrained 
men for the delicate and important w^ork of 
^'shadowing" such an experienced gang of vil- 
lains was risky in the extreme. Had they ever 
met Barton and the Farringtons, the latter would 
have undoubtedly murdered both of them with- 
out scruple ; but there was no danger of such a 
meeting, since the robbers, and Mrs. Farrington 
also, were perfectly aware of the presence of their 
pursuers from the start. Indeed, they afterward 
stated that it had been their intention to have led 
the detectives on as far as the wild, unsettled 
country of Western Missouri, and to have then 
hanged them in some unfrequented spot, placing 
the inscription ^'Horse-thief" upon each of the 
bodies. Subsequent events prevented them from 
carrying out this plan, but there was no doubt 
that they would have taken that or some other 
equally daring means of ridding themselves of 
pursuit. The manner in which Ball and Bledsoe 
exposed their intentions wherever they went 
showed the inexperience of both men in such 
work ; for, along the whole route over which 



ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 61 

they passed, they were known as officers track- 
ing a band of thieves ; and we afterward learned 
that, wliile they were innocently and unsuspect- 
ingly following Mrs. Farrington, two of the men, 
Barton and Clark, were almost continually watch- 
ing them. However, they had been started on 
their mission by the superintendent before Wil- 
liam could make any other arrangements, as he 
was away at Lester's Landing when the chase 
began. 

From William's reports to me, I saw the use- 
lessness of maintaining such a body of men in 
the work of scouting, watching ferries, and beat- 
ing the cane-brake, for the reason that no good 
could come of it. I knew that if the robbers could 
escape from Lester's Landing and make their 
way to Gillem Station once, they could do it 
again. Clark (or Hillary Farrington) had been at 
Lester's early Thursday morning, while guards 
were stationed all about ; yet, on Saturday morn- 
ing he was at his mother's farm, and no one had 
even seen him on the way. This convinced me 
that they had such a knowledge of the country 
as to make it impossible to stop them by any sys- 
tem of guards or patrols, and I therefore wrote 
several letters asking that the superintendent dis- 
charge this expensive force at once, and allow me 
to manage the whole operation by my own plans 
and with my own men. While William, there- 
fore, was at work with indefatigable energy and 
perseverance, scouting and following up all the 
reports brought in by the vast army of volunteer 



62 ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 

detectives in the company's employ, we were both 
satisfied that the method adopted was useless, and 
that even the ferry guards would discover noth- 
ing. Knowing the character of the three desper- 
adoes, I had no doubt of their sagacity in avoid- 
ing observation and pursuit ; they would never 
try to cross without knowing positively whether 
the ferry was guarded, and if there should be any 
real danger, they would undoubtedly steal a skiff 
and make their horses swim across the river, a 
feat of no great risk in the then low condition of 
the water. 

About this time an incident occurred v/hich 
added greatly to William's popularity in Union 
City, and gained for him the respect and kindly 
feeling of the community. On Sunday two 
roughs, having drank enough bad whisky to be 
absolutely fiendish, began to beat an old and inof- 
fensive negro whom they happened to meet. A 
merchant, named Blakemore, v/ho was passing at 
the time, stopped to remonstrate with the ruffians, 
when one of them turned and plunged a knife 
into his stomach, inflicting a wound which caused 
his death next day. The murderer was the terror 
of the town, and so great was the fear of him 
that he would have probably escaped had not 
William appeared on the street as he rushed 
away flourishing his bloody knife and threaten- 
ing to kill any one who should stand in his way. 
The sight of William's heavy revolver leveled at 
his head, backed by the certainty which he saw 
in William's face that death or surrender was his 



ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 63 

only alternative, caused him to choose the latter, 
and he was lodged in jail to await his trial for 
murder. The people of the town were quite en- 
thusiastic over the way in which William had 
brought the fellow to bay, and then compelled 
his surrender ; and they even went so far as to 
say that he was '^ a good fellow, a very good fel- 
low indeed — for a Yankee." 

On the twentieth of November an unfortunate 
publicity was given to our operations by the pub- 
lication in the Union City Journal of a long his- 
tory of the Farringtons, showing their whole 
career of crime, and terminating with an account 
of their latest exploit, as developed by our inves- 
tigations in and about Union City. It is unneces- 
sary to state the source whence this information 
was derived, further than to say that it was not 
obtained from any member of my force. It was 
a very dangerous piece of news to be published, 
since it might have wholly overthrown all our 
plans, besides involving the death of two or three 
men engaged in the operation ; fortunately, the 
robbers were undoubtedly across the Mississippi 
by that time, and beyond the reach of newspapers 
for some weeks at least. 

On the same day that this matter was published, 
Mrs. Farrington crossed the Mississippi Eiver at 
Bird's Point, opposite Cairo, and the fact was re- 
ported to William and to me by telegraph. We 
had previously learned that Mrs. Farrington had 
relatives in Springfield, Missouri, and in Dade 
County, in the same State, and the probabilities 



64 ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 
K 

were that, instead of going to Texas, she was 
going to visit in one of these places. Meanwhile, 
though my opinion was that her sons intended to 
rejoin her somewhere, either in Nigger -Wool 
Swamp or at her place of destination, I had no 
certainty that such was their intention ; and, 
bearing in mind the warning they had received 
by her arrest at Waverly (and possibly by read- 
ing the newspaper article previously mentioned), 
I felt that every clue must be carefully traced, 
even though it might lead in an exactly opposite 
direction from that in which our previous suspi- 
cions had caused us to look. My correspondents 
and agents in Louisville, Cincinnati, St. Louis, 
and New Orleans were, therefore, kept on the 
alert to capture the men if they should venture 
into those cities, while I held three determined 
men ready to go at once in pursuit of Mrs. Far- 
rington, in case she should take the route through 
Nigger- Wool Swamp. 

It will be remembered that one of the negroes 
accompanying Mrs. Farrington had stated that 
her sons were to join her in that swamp ; now, 
there were three possibilities about this state- 
ment : first, the negro might have lied ; second, 
he might have been so informed by the old lady 
on purpose to give a false scent in case he should 
be questioned ; and, third, while their intention 
might have been to meet there, subsequent events 
might have altered their plans. Still, thinking 
the subject over carefully, I decided that she 
would not take so difficult a course unless she 



ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 65 

really intended to meet her sons there. My rea- 
sons for so thinking were based upon the nature 
of the place, and, to comprehend my solicitude 
about Nigger -Wool Swamp, a description of it 
will be necessary. 

/The swamp is more than seventy miles long by 
about thirty-five miles wide, and, as a piece of 
bottomless ooze, itsr superior cannot be found in 
the United States. There are just two roads 
crossing it, one running from Hall's Ferry, at 
Point Pleasant, Missouri, and the other f]'om 
Mitchell's Ferry, thirty -five miles below. These 
roads are mere bog-paths in themselves, being 
heavily overlaid with underbrush and corduroy 
logs, yet they afford the only means of crossing 
this vast morass. The period of the annual over- 
flow turns it into a turbid, sluggish lake, the roads 
being then deeply buried under water ; but even 
in the dryest seasons the greater portion of the 
swamp is a bottomless slime of mud and putre- 
fying vegetation. Large tracts of thickly-wooded 
land are contained within the limits of the swamp, 
and these constitute a semi-substantial basis for 
the two roads which run through them ; but even 
these clumps are impassable at most seasons, 
except along the artificially- constructed roads. 
Sometimes, for miles and miles, nothing but the 
rankest of swamp-vegetation is seen, growing in 
wild profusion and covering the treacherous ooze 
with a close network of leaves and branches, 
until the surface looks firm enough to be taken 
for solid ground ; but should any unfortunate 



66 ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 

traveler venture to cross such a spot, his hmbs 
v^ould be clogged by these clinging water-plants, 
his feet would find no secure resting-place, and, 
sinking rapidly deeper and deeper into the mire, 
his bones would find a sepulcher where nothing 
but a general natural convulsion would ever dis- 
turb them. 

Still, there are occasional islands of firm ground 
through this section, and these have become the 
resort of lawless characters of every nationality 
and degree of crime. Over the entrance to Nig- 
ger-Wool Swamp might be placed, with perfect 
truthfulness, the motto: ^'Who enters here 
leaves hope behind." Each man is a law unto 
himself, and he must maintain his rights by the 
strong arm and the ready shot-gun. In one thing 
only are the dwellers of the swamp united, 
namely : a bitter and deadly resistance to the 
law. No ofiicer of justice ventures therein to 
perform any of the duties of his office ; unless 
backed by a powerful body of determined men, 
he would never return alive, and, if so accompa- 
nied, he would never succeed in catching a 
glimpse of any criminal whom he might be 
seeking. 

About the middle of the swamp, the two roads 
cross each other at a spot called ''The Gates," and 
every person traveling through either way must 
pass this place. Knowing this fact, I felt sure 
that Mrs. Farrington would await the arrival of 
her sons at " The Gates," in case she entered the 
swamp, and I determined that, in such an event, 



ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 67 

I should try to capture them there. I was fully 
aware of the danger of such an attempt, but I 
knew that to take the bull by the horns is some- 
times the safest means of overpowering him. To 
send officers to that point with the avowed pur- 
pose of arresting any one, would be equivalent to 
sending them to their certain death, and I had no 
intention of doing anything of the kind ; but I 
had men of my force who could visit Nigger- 
Wool Swamp for the professed purpose of hiding 
there from pursuit for alleged crimes, and, wlien 
the moment came for action, I did not doubt that 
they would bring out their men before the neigh- 
boring outlaws could discover their object. 

Everything depended upon the course Mrs. Far- 
rington should take on leaving the Mississippi 
River, since by striking north from the point 
where she crossed, she could skirt the edge of the 
swamp, while if she turned south toward Point 
Pleasant, I should know that she intended to 
carry out her original programme. This question 
was quickly settled, however, not only by the re- 
ports of the scouts, Ball and Bledsoe, who were 
following Mrs. Farrington, but also by an unex- 
pected piece of intelligence from Gillem Station. 
Mrs. Farrington moved about twenty or twenty- 
five miles each day, and, from the fact that she 
went north to Fredericktown, there was no doubt 
that she had changed her plan of meeting her 
sons in Nigger- Wool Swamp. 



68 THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Scene of Action transferred to Missouri, — TJie 
Chase becoming Sot. 

ON the twenty-second of November, William 
learned that a letter had arrived at Gillem 
Station, postmarked Verona, Missouri, November 
13, and he immediately took measures to obtain 
this letter. Three days later he learned its con- 
tents, which were of such an important character 
as to give a new direction to our efforts. The letter 
read as follows: 

''Verona, Mo., Nov. 13, 1871. 
" My dear Cousin: 

"" I seat myself to answer your kind letter, which 
came to hand last evening, and was glad to hear 
from you, and hear you was well and doing well. 
I have nothing new to write, only that we are aU 
well at present, hoping that when these few lines 
come to hand they may find you well and doing 
well as ever, as you say you have been doing very 
well. It must be a good thing if it could stay so. 
Sometimes it was well and sometimes it wasn't, 
but I hope it will stay so, as you say it is a soft 
thing — as soft as things gets to be. I would like 
to see something like that, you bet. You talk like 
it can't be beat. That is the thing to take in. I 
think, and I know you think it, for I saw your 



THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 69 

name. I guess I did see you. You know Mr. 
Crapmel? He is a great fellow; you bet it is so. 
1 have nothing more to write at present, as you 
said you are going to start out here. You said you 
was coming by here. Cousin, if you do come by, 
we don't live where we did when you were here; 
we live two miles nearer Verona. Come the same 
road. We hve now half mile off the road on John 
Ellis' place. You can find out where we live any- 
where. Come out the same road you did when 
you came before. John Timothy has just come 
out here; has been out here about three weeks. 
He is well satisfied here. So I will close for this 
time. 

^^ From your cousin, 

'' J. M. Durham. 

*' M. F. sends her love to all of the family. Ex- 
cuse my bad writing and bad spelling." 

It was evident that Mrs. Farrington had pre- 
viously written to her cousin informing him of 
her intention to visit him soon, and this letter 
was intended to direct her to the new location. 
The allusions in the letter to the "good thing " in 
which she was engaged showed that the writer 
had been made aware of the Farringtons' success 
as express robbers, and that he quite approved of 
their operations. 

On reading this letter, William sent a copy to 
me immediately, and suggested that one or two 
good men be sent to Verona to get work near this 
man Durham, and to get into the confidence of 



YO THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 

the family, so that, when Mrs. Farrington should 
arrive, she would not be likely to suspect any one 
who had come before her. I fully approved of 
Wilham's plan, and, on the last day of Novem- 
ber, Detectives George W. Cottrell and Arthur C. 
Marriott started for Verona. I inferred that the 
people in that vicinity were rather lawless and 
desperate characters, from the fact that Durham 
spoke of "John Timothy" being well satisfied 
there. On the principle that ' ' birds of a feather 
flock together," I judged the Farringtons,the Dur- 
hams, and this fellow Timothy to belong to the 
same type of people; hence, I concluded that, if 
Durham and Timothy were satisfied with the 
country, the people living there must be congenial 
spirits, especially since Mrs. Farrington was about 
to make a place of refuge in that vicinity. 

My two men were detained a day in St. Louis, 
and they did not arrive in Verona until the sec- 
ond of December. The first thing they noticed 
about the town was the total absence of liquor sa- 
loons, and a few minutes' conversation with one 
or two of the citizens convinced them that no 
more orderly, honest, law-abiding community ex- 
isted in Missouri than the population of Lawrence 
County. This discovery made a marked change 
in their plans necessary, as my instructions to 
them had been based upon the supposition that 
they would find a number of robbers, horse- 
thieves, and counterfeiters around Verona, and 
that the)^ would be easily able to get Durham's 
confidenq ) by appearing as reckless and desperate 



THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. Yl 

as any one. They had each prepared a choice au- 
tobiography for use among the residents, and, ac- 
cording to their own intended accounts of them- 
selves, two greater scoundrels never went un- 
hung. 

All this was necessarily useless in the changed 
circumstances surrounding them. To attempt the 
role of criminal characters, hiding from justice, 
would quickly cause their banishment from the 
place, or possibly their arrest, and a new plan 
was essential. Their instructions had been that 
they should not put any confidence in any one, 
and they were obhged to invent a plausible rea- 
son for their presence there; also to have some 
business which would enable them to ride about 
the country, making inquiries and scouting for 
Mrs. Farrington and her sons. 

Finding that the railroad company had a land 
agent in Verona, Cottrell decided to represent 
themselves as would-be purchasers of land. This 
would give them an excuse for going all over the 
county, examining different farms and unim- 
proved tracts. They were introduced to Mr. 
Purdy, the land agent, by the hotel clerk, and 
from him they obtained a map of the county. It 
was then agreed that Mr. Purdy should go out 
with Cottrell and Marriott on Tuesday, December 
5, to look at some pieces of property which the 
raihoad company wished to sell. During Sunday 
and Monday both of the detectives were trying to 
learn where Durham lived, but no one seemed to 
know; neither could any one tell them anything 



72 THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 

about John Ellis, upon whose farm Durham had 
said he was living. The idea that Mrs. Farrington 
was rapidly pushing west, toward Durham's place, 
made Cottrell very anxious to begin operations 
as quickly as possible, since, if she should arrive 
before the detectives were established in the vicin- 
ity, there would be great difficulty in working 
into her confidence, as she would instantly sus- 
pect their true character; whereas, if she should 
find them already there, she would have nq pos- 
sible occasion to distrust them. They therefore 
thought best to confide the real object of their 
visit to Mr. Purdy, the land agent, and to ask his 
advice and assistance. Mr. Purdy had been an 
officer in the Union army during the war of the 
rebelhon, and had settled in Verona at the close 
of the war. He was evidently an honorable man, 
who would always be found on the side of law 
and order, and as he was very popular in Verona, 
he would be able to give them a great deal of as- 
sistance in capturing the Farrington party. On 
communicating with me by telegraph on this 
point, they stated the facts briefly, and I author- 
ized them to confer with Mr. Purdy on the sub- 
ject, at the same time forwarding full instruc- 
tions by letter. 

On Tuesday, therefore, they told the whole 
story to Mr. Purdy, and showed him their cre- 
dentials. He was quite astonished at their reve- 
lations, but he was very hearty and sincere in his 
expressions of good will toward them, and he 
promised to aid thom in every possible way. He 



THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. T3 

knew John Ellis quite well, having sold him the 
farm on which he was living, and he had heard of 
Durham, who hired a small portion of the EUis 
farm. He said that if force should be necessary 
to capture the Farrington party, he could raise 
fifty determined men in ten minutes to help the 
officers. He said that af fcer the war Verona had 
been a very bad place for a short time, but that, 
as Eastern men began to settle there, the respect- 
able people had tried to drive out the hard cases; 
this had been slow work at first, but they event- 
ually had been completely successful; they not 
only had driven out the dangerous characters, but 
they had closed all the hquor saloons also; and 
now, having once got rid of them, they would 
take care not to let any of that class of people 
back again. 

Mr. Purdy was called away for a day or two on 
business, but he promised, on his return, to go 
with the detectives to Durham's place, and, mean- 
time, he said he would speak of them as gentle- 
men who intended buying land in that section, 
and who wished to ride over the country until 
they found a place which satisfied them. During 
the next three days, therefore, they learned 
nothing new, their time being occupied in scout- 
ing the road along which they expected Mrs. Far- 
rington to come. 

Thus the first week of December passed, z..^^^ 
the operation was not progressing very favorably 
anywhere. Ball and Bledsoe had reported Mrs. 
Farrington's route up to the thirtieth of November, 



74 THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 

and she had moved quite rapidly up to that date, 
but nothing had been learned since, and I expected 
to hear of her arrival at Verona every day. She 
had gone from Cairo to Frederickstown, Missouri, 
and thence to Ironton; then, instead of following a 
direct road, she had struck up north to Potosi, in 
Washington County; again taking a westerly 
route, she had passed through Steelville, Crawford 
County, and on the thirtieth of November, she 
had camped at Waynesville, Pulaski County. 
Beyond this we knew nothing of her movements, 
although by the eighth of December she had had 
ample time to reach Verona. 

William had spent this week in following up a 
clue received from Louisville, Kentucky. It will 
be remembered that about November 9, a pair of 
dashing w^omen had been reported as having 
visited the banks in Kansas City, trying to get 
large bills for about eight thousand dollars in small 
bills. I had not believed the story at that time, 
and therefore had taken no steps to follow them. 
When William learned from Louisville, however, 
that a woman named Annie Martin, whom Levi 
Farrington had been in the habit of supporting 
on the proceeds of his robberies, had been stay- 
ing there v\^ith another woman named Lillie 
Baker, who had sustained the same relations to 
Barton, it occurred to him that these might have 
been the women who were said to have been in 
Kansas City with so much money. He started 
at once for Louisville, at the same time tele- 
graphing to me liis suspicions in the matter, and I 



f 



THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 75 

began inquiries again in Kansas City by telegraph. 
I coald learn very little except from the teller of 
one bank, who described the women as well as he 
could remember their appearance; but the descrip- 
tion was not accurate enough to determine 
whether these two women had or had not been 
Annie Martin and LiUie Baker. In Louisville, 
however, William learned that these women had 
been there recently, and they had appeared to be 
well supphed with money. They had not re- 
mained very long, but had gone to New Orleans, 
where they were then hving in good style. As 
Mr. O'Brien, the general superintendent of the 
express company, was in New Orleans, the in- 
formation was sent to him, and he agreed to have 
a sharp watch kept to discover Farrington and 
Barton, in case they should follow these women. 
On the eighth of December, Cottreil, Marriott, 
and Mr. Purdy started on horseback to visit John 
Ehis's farm, where the Durhams lived. About a 
mile before arriving there, they met a farmer 
named Wisbey, who v/as a neighbor of Elhs and 
the Durhams. Without letting him into their con- 
fidence, they talked with him a long time, and 
gradually drew out a number of important facts. 
The Durham family consisted of two brothers and 
a young sister living with their mother, old Mrs. 
Durham, and they rented a small house on a part 
of the Ellis farm. Nothing positive had ever been 
. discovered against the character of either Jam 
or Tihnan Durham, but the neighbors had a poor 
opinion of them, and kept a pretty close watch 



*h 



T6 THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 

upon their actions. During the previous fall a 
young man had visited them for sonie time, and 
his description was exactly that of Levi Farring- 
ton; but Wisbey could not tell his name, though 
he promised to learn it, and let Mr. Purdy know. 
Mr. Wisbey was a downright honest, intelligent 
man, and Mr. Purdy asked him to learn everything 
possible about the Durhams and their visitors; in 
case any wagons should arrive, it was agreed that 
he should send word to Mr. Purdy instantly. 
There was no occasion for telling him the whole 
story, as he was quite willing to undertake the 
trust on the strength of Mr. Purdy's request, with- 
out asking further particulars; and, as he was a 
thoroughly discreet man, there was little danger 
that he would betray his mission by idle talking. 
The detectives and Mr. Purdy then returned to 
Verona, it being considered undesirable that they 
should visit the Durhams, lest they might pos- 
sibly excite suspicion. 

The day following their visit to Wisbey, he ar- 
rived in Verona and told Cottrell that he had 
sent his son-in-law, Mr. Stone, to see Jim Durham, 
and the latter had said that he was expecting the 
arrival of some relatives very soon. He had 
learned further that the young man who had 
visited Durham in the latter part of the previous 
September had given his name as Levi Farrington, 
and had passed as the beau of the young Durham 
girl. In speaking of him, Jim Durham had told 
Mr. Stone that he did not wish his sister to marry 
Farrington, as the latter was a dangerous man, 



THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. Y7 

and had recently killed a man in a quarrel, while 
those who stood about were too much afraid of 
him to arrest him. Mr. Wisbey then returned 
home, with instructions to alternate with Mr. 
Stone in secretly watching Durham's place, so that 
every occurrence might be at once reported. 

On the tenth of December I received a dispatch 
from Mr. O'Brien, saying that 1 he express agent 
at Springfield, Missouri, had telegraphed to him 
on the eighth that the wagons of Mrs. Farrington's 
party had camped five miles from Springfield, and 
that the three men were known to be sixty miles 
south of EoUa. Mr. O'Brien therefore requested 
me to send a good detective to meet Connell in 
St. Louis, whence they would go together to cap- 
ture the men at Eolla. I at once sent one of my 
best men, named Martin Oalway, with instruc- 
tions to join Connell, and, in case the Eolla report 
should prove to be a false alarm, they were to go 
on to Verona to assist Cottrell and Marriott. I 
had hardly completed my instructions to Gal way, 
ere I received a telegram in cipher from Cottrell, 
as follows: 

^'Levi Farrington and a man calling himself 
George Cousins are at Durham's. They came on 
Thursday evening. Shall I arrest them ? I can 
get all the help I need." 

I immediately replied, also by a cipher dispatch, 
as follows: 

''Are you sure it is Levi Farrington? His 
brother and Barton will probably be at Verona 
soon. We must get the whole. I think they 



78 THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 

will come from Douglas County. Probably Con- 
nell and Galway will be with you by Monday or 
Tuesday night; they can identify the men. Mrs. 
Farrington will be at Durham's by Sunday night 
or Monday morning. Keep a cool, clear head, and 
advise with Purdy. Have written by mail to- 
night. Keep me posted. WilKam will arrive by 
Tuesday. " 

At the same time I wrote full instructions to 
Cottrell, ordering him to keep a close watch upon 
the men at Durham's, but to take no action until 
William should arrive, unless they attempted to 
go away. I did not alter Galway's instructions, 
but I telegraphed to William to start for Verona 
at once, to take charge of the operations there. 
The chase was now becoming hot, and a few days 
would decide the question of success or failure. I 
had reason to believe that the outlaws would not 
be taken without a desperate resistance, and I 
was anxious to have Wilham present to direct 
the attack. 

On Sunday, the tenth, Cottrell and Marriott 
rode out to see Wisbey, who met them just out- 
side of Verona and informed them that Levi 
Farrington had arrived at Jim Durham's late 
Thursday night, accompanied by a young man 
named George Cousins. They did not receive 
my reply to their telegram announcing this fact 
until late that day, and so they could do nothing 
toward satisfying themselves as to Levi Farring- 
ton's identity until next morning, when they 
visited Wisbey at his own house. Mr. Stone, 



THE CHASE BECOMING HOT. 19 

"Wisbey's son-in-law, had met a man named 
Smothers, who worked for Jim Durham, and 
Smothers had told him all about the two men 
who had just arrived. According to their own 
account, they had left Mrs. Farrington at Ash 
Grove, in Greene County, where she was going to 
buy a farm, Levi having given her five thousand 
dollars for that purpose; Levi and Cousins were 
on their way to Kansas, where they intended to 
settle down to raise cattle; Levi's brother was 
said to be at Lester's Landing for the purpose of 
selhng off a stock of groceries which they owned 
there. Both men were well armed, having three 
navy revolvers and a shot-gun. 

When this news was transmitted to me by 
telegraph, I decided that this man Cousins must 
be Barton, and that Hillary Farrington might pos- 
sibly be at Lester's Landing, as they said.' I 
therefore telegraphed to William, who I knew 
would be in St. Louis that day, en route to 
Verona, that he had better take Connell and 
Galway back to Lester's to capture Hillary, 
while Cottrell and Marriott undertook the arrest 
of Levi and Barton at Durham's. I also sent a 
dispatch to Cottrell to take no steps for their ar- 
rest until after William should have captured 
Hillary. 

William, having previously thoroughly ex- 
amined the contents of the store at Lester's, 
knew that they were not worth over two hundred 
dollars,, and he telegraphed me to that effect, 
suggesting that it was improbable that Hillary 



80 THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 

should ritn so much risk for so small a sum. On 
learning this fact, I coincided with him, and 
ordered him to go on to Yerona, as I had originally 
intended. I desired that he should keep the 
Durham place carefully watched until the arrival 
of the other Farrington, who, I believed, would 
soon join the rest of the party; then, in case he 
arrived, we should get all three together; but,, if 
the other two should show any signs of moving 
off, they could be taken at any time. 

Mr. O'Brien obtained requisitions from the 
Governor of Tennessee on the Governor of Mis- 
souri for the three men, and I felt that success 
was only delayed a day or two at most. 



CHAPTEE Vni. 

j4 (determined Party of Horsemen. — The Outlaws sur- 
rounded and the Birds caged, — A Parley. — An 
affecting Scene. — The burning Cabin. — Its Occu- 
pants finally surrender. 

■TXT"HILE the telegrams were fljning back and 
VV forth on Tuesday, the twelfth, Cottrell 
and Marriott were busily engaged. Early that 
morning Mr. Stone came to Verona, and told 
them that he had learned that Farrington and 
cousins intended to leave Durham's for the In- 
dian Territory the next day. The news was 
doubtless authentic. Stone having heard it from 



THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 81 

Smothers, who had said that Farrington had told 
him so himself. It was clearly impossible to wail 
for Wilham's arrival, as, by that time, the men 
might be safely hidden in the wild country to the 
westward. Instant action was absolutely neces 
sary, and Cottrell so informed Mr. Purdy, who 
soon gathered a force of eight men. Very little 
would have been needed to obtain even a larger 
number of recruits, for, had Mr. Purdy and the 
detectives publicly told the story of the men 
whom they wished to capture, there would have 
been plenty of eager volunteers, all anxious to 
aid in ridding the country of such a band of out- 
laws. It was not deemed advisable, however, to 
summon a large posse, lest the news might 
spread so fast as to reach the ears of the crimi- 
nals before the detectives could surround them ; 
on this account only a few reliable men were let 
into the secret, and the}^ left town singly and in 
pairs to avoid observation, having a rendezvous 
outside. 

Just before starting, Mr. Purdy received a dis- 
patch from the general land agent, ordering him 
to Pearce City instantly, as several purchasers of 
land were awaiting him there ; although he tried 
to have his visit postponed one day, he was un- 
successful, his orders being imperatively repeated 
by telegraph, and so he was unable to accompany 
the detectives and citizens on their expedition to 
Durham's. The party of eight met the detec- 
tives outside the town, and they were joined on 
their way by three others, who Uved on the road. 
4* 



82 THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 

They were all substantial business men or 
farmers, but they were accustomed to a life in 
the saddle, and they had all borne arms during 
the war on one side or the other. In spite of 
their present peaceful occupations they were not 
a body who could be trifled with, and it was evi- 
dent that any gang of desperadoes would find 
their match in these cool, determined, law-abid- 
ing men. 

A few miles from Verona they met a young 
lady riding a large brown mule, but none of the 
men in the party knew her. Cottrell felt sure, 
however, that she was Durham's sister, and that 
she was riding Farrington's mule. The descrip- 
tions he had received of the girl from Stone and 
Wisbey coincided exactly with her appearance, 
while the mule could not be mistaken. He there- 
fore sent a man back to watch her, lest she 
should have taken alarm at so large a cavalcade 
of armed men. She rode on to Verona, however, 
without showing any signs of uneasiness, and 
the scout soon overtook the party. 

On arriving one mile from Wisbey's, Marriott 
went on to Stone's house with six men, while 
Cottrell went to Wisbey's with the other five. 
Stone and Wisbey soon gathered a number of 
the neighbors, among whom was John Ellis, who 
owned the house and land where the Durhams 
were living; he was a very highly respected citi- 
zen, and was not at all displeased at the idea of 
getting rid of his semi-disreputable tenants. The 
management of the affair was then un?nimonsly 



THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 83 

vcted to Cottrell, and the party rode rapidly 
toward the Durham house. It was situated at 
the edge of a clearing, with underbrush anc- 
woodland close to it on three sides, so that great 
caution was necessary, lest the villains shou.d 
see them approaching, and escape mto the woods. 
At a reasonable distance from the house, there- 
fore, the party divided, a part, under Marriotts 
direction, dismounting and making their way to 
the rear of the house on foot. When sufficient 
time had elapsed to enable the latter party to 
surround the house, Cottrell, with the remaindei% 
dashed up to the front of the house and spread 
out so as to make sure that no one should escape. 
As they approached, a man, who proved to be 
Jim Durham, appeared on the porch and asked 
what they wanted; to which Cottrell replied that 
he wanted the men in the house. 
- The words had hardly passed his lips ere Barton 
sprang into the open doorway with a navy revolver 
leveled at Cottrell; but, seeing that the latter as 
well as several others, had him covered he shut 
the door quickly and started for the back of the 
house By this time, however, the cordon ot 
guards had drawn close around, and, as he 
emerged at the rear, he found himself confronted 
by half a dozen determined men, who ordered 
him to surrender. He then hastily tried to c ose 
the back door also, and pointed his revolver 
through the crack; but the discharge of several 
shots, which struck close to him, caused him to 
withdraw his pistol and tightly close the door, it 



84 THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 

was evident that the birds were caged at last, and 
it was now only a question of time when they 
would be taken; as it was only one o'clock in the 
afternoon, there were still four hours of daylight 
to conduct the siege. 

Jim Durham, when he saw the rifles and revolv- 
ers of so large a force pointed at him, was thor- 
oughly frightened, and he begged piteously that 
they would not shoot him. Cottrell placed his 
men behind trees, fences, and other protections, 
so as to be safe from any attempt to pick them off 
by the men in the house, and yet to guard every 
means of exit from the place; he then called Jim 
Durham out and searched him, finding nothing 
but a single-barreled pistol. He then sent Jim to 
the door of the house to summon the men inside 
to surrender, telling them that he was determined 
to have them — alive if possible, but if not, dead. 

They refused to surrender, saying that they 
would kill any man who should approach the 
house. When Durham brought back their an- 
swer, Cottrell sent word that he would give them 
five minutes in which to decide whether they 
would yield peaceably or be burned out and shot 
to death. Just then Mrs. Durham, the mother 
of the Durham boys, begged Cottre'l to allow 
her to go speak to Farrington and Barton, as she 
believed she could induce them to surrender. 
Accordingly, she went to the front window and 
implored them not to have the house burned 
down, as all her household goods would be de- 
stroyed. They rephed that they might as well 



THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 85 

die inside as to come out and be shot down. Cot- 
trell sent back word that they should be treated 
Hke all other prisoners if they would pans out 
their arms and surrender quietly; but if they 
tried to fight or resist, they would surely be 
killed. 

As they still refused, Jim Durham was sent to 
barricade the doors with fence rails, so that they 
should not be able to rush out unexpectedly. He 
whined and complained that the men inside would 
shoot him, but he was obliged to go, and though 
they did threaten him, he was able to crawl up 
and lay the rails without getting within range. 
The house was a solid log cabin, with only two 
doors and very few windows, so that it was pos- 
sible to approach it in one or two directions with- 
out exposure to a fire from within. When the 
doors had been securely barricaded, Cottrell or- 
dered him to get on the roof, which was a com- 
mon shingle roof, and set fire to the house. Mrs. 
Durham was carrying on at a great rate, first 
begging Farrington to surrender, and then pray- 
ing to Cottrell not to burn her property. John 
Ellis, to whom the house belonged, gave full per- 
mission to burn it, and a fire was built in the 
open air to make brands to set it afire. 

Mrs. Durham was allowed to make one more 
appeal to the ruffians inside, but they would not 
listen to her entreaties. They asked her, how- 
ever, what kind of a looking man Cottrell was, 
and what he wanted to arrest them for. Cottrell 
was standing near enough to hear the question, 



86 THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 

and after Mrs. Durham had described his appear- 
ance, he told them that he wanted them fox an 
express robbery; that he would treat them kindly 
if they should yield peaceably; but if they should 
refuse this, his last offer, he should set fire to the 
house and shoot them down as they ran out. He 
said he had no ^\ash to Idll them, but that he was 
determined they should not escape; rather than 
allow them to get away, he would have them 
shot on sight; but they would be protected and 
brought to trial if they would surrender. 

To this they replied that they intended killing 
some of their besiegers first, anyhow. Finding 
further parley useless, therefore, Cottrell gave 
the order to burn the building, and Durham was 
forced to carry the embers and brands to burn 
his own premises. Just at this time, the young 
girl, whom they had met riding a mule toward 
Verona, rode up to the house and asked what 
was the matter. As Cottrell had surmised, this 
was Miss Durham, and she was very much 
frightened at what she saw. 

The afternoon sun was buried in a deep bank 
of clouds, so that the twilight was rapidly draw- 
ing on, there being just enough light to show the 
barricaded doors, the deserted porch, and the de- 
termined men scattered around, with shot-ginis 
and rifles pointed at the low log cabin, above 
which a frightened man stood out in bold relief 
against the sky, tearing off the shingles and 
piling them upon a glowing flame at his feet. 
Everything was now hushed in deathly silence, 



''% THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 87 

ix . it needed no explanation for any one to un- 
derstand that a bloody tragedy was about to occur 
if that flame should be allowed to envelop the 
building. It was now the prison of its two oc- 
cupants, but only a short time would elapse 
before it would be their tomb. 

On seeing the situation, Miss Durham asked to 
be allowed to speak to the men, as she said she 
knew they would listen to her. On Cottrell's re- 
fusal to hold any more parley with them, she 
burst into tears, threw her arms around his neck, 
and implored him to let her speak to Barton just 
once, if only for five minutes. Finally, seeing 
that most of his party wished to give the girl a 
chance to speak to her sweetheart, Cottrell said 
that she could have three minutes to obtain their 
arms; if they surrendered immediately, the fire 
should be put out; but, if they should still refuse, 
their last chance of saving the house and their 
lives would be gone. Miss Durham then went to 
the window, and talked with the men in the most 
imploring manner, urging them not to sacrifice 
themselves, as they would surely do if they re- 
mained in the burning house. Her entreaties did 
not seem to affect them at first; and, as the 
flames were then beginning to gather strength, 
Cottrell ordered her to come away from the 
house, and leave them to their fate. She made 
one more appeal, and Barton handed her a navy 
revolver; then Farrington did the same, and she 
brought them to Cottrell, saying that they would 
surrender if they could be sure "ihat their lives 



88 THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 

would be spared. Cottrell told her to go back 
and get the rest of their arms, and assure them 
that they should be taken to Tennessee for trial. 
She soon returned with another revolver and a 
shot-gun, and said that the men would come out. 
Cottrell therefore removed the rails, opened the 
front door, and called them out — Barton coming 
first, and then Farrington. The latter proved to 
be Hillary, not Levi, as he had called himself. It 
was not known why he had used his brother's 
name, but it was supposed that Hillary had taken 
his name to enable him to prove an alibi in case 
he should be arrested. 

Cottrell's party first secured the prisoners with 
ropes, and then assisted Jim Durham to extinguish 
the fire on the roof ; the latter was quite rotten, 
and it had burned so slowly that very little damage 
had been done. The prisoners were thoroughly 
searched, but nothing of any consequence was 
found upon them, the total of their funds being 
less than three dollars. A prolonged search 
through the house revealed nothing of importance, 
except the fact that it was quite an arsenal for 
arms, there being found six navy revolvers, two 
double-barreled shot-guns, and a Spencer repeat- 
ing rifle. The siege had lasted nearly three hours, 
and, another hour having been spent in searching 
the house and saddling their animals, it was nearly 
dark by the time they started for Verona. Far- 
rington and Barton were carefully tied upon the 
horse and mule respectively, and, after thanking 
the neighboring farmers for their assistance, Cot- 



THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 89 

trell took the road back, accompanied by the 
eleven men who belonged in and about Verona. 
The greatest care was taken that the prisoners 
should have no opportunity for escape, and they 
were informed that any attempt to get away 
would be the signal for riddling them with bullets. 

"While riding along, Cottrell learned from Bar- 
ton that the party had been very lucky in finding 
the two men in the house, since their usual cus- 
tom had been to spend the days in the woods, 
coming in only at night to sleep. On this occa- 
sion, however, the weather was so cold that they 
were spending the day indoors. 
. When asked why they had not surrendered be- 
fore, they both made the same reply, namely: 
that they behoved the posse of citizens intended 
either to shoot them immediately, or to hang 
them after a trial by lynch law. 

On arriving in Verona early in the evening, the 
prisoners were securely tied up with ropes, and 
Cottrell alternated during the night with Marriott 
in watching them. A blacksmith was also called 
up, and shortly after midnight he completed two 
pair of leg shackles, with which they were fast- 
ened together. My men were greatly fatigued, 
having ridden a large number of miles every day 
for a week, and the excitement of the affair 
added, of course, to their prostration, but they 
resolutely paced the floor in alternate four-hour 
watches, determined that no possible loophole for 
escape should again be afforded to such daring 
villains as these two. 



90 THE OUTLAWS SURROUNDED. 

The result of the expedition was, of course, 
transmitted to me in telegraphic cipher at once: 
but the arrest was kept secret for the time, in or- 
der to prevent a knowledge of it coming to Levi 
Farrington, who was still at large. According to 
Barton, Levi was concealed somewhere in Ten- 
nessee, but this statement was proof positive that 
he was not in Tennessee at all, since Barton's ob- 
ject in telling anything about him was evidently 
intended to mislead us; hence, no faith was 
put in his story, and other steps were taken to 
capture Levi. 

William arrived in Verona on the morning 
after the fight, and he prepared to return with 
the prisoners to St. Louis by the noon train. It 
was supposed that Levi Farrington was also on 
his way to the rendezvous at Durham's farm, 
and that he would probably approach by the 
direct road through Douglas County. CottreU 
and Marriott were left, therefore, to attend to 
Levi and the old lady, whose whereabouts were 
still uncertain. William saw most of the citi- 
zens engaged in the affair, and heartily thanked 
them for their aid; being questioned as to whethei 
they should receive the reward of one thousand 
dollars offered by the express company for the 
capture of the two Farringtons and Barton, he 
informed them that he considered them entitled 
to it, and that he should recommend its payment, 
but that the matter would be decided by the offi- 
cers of the company. I may here anticipate 
events somewhat to state that the company paid 



barton's confession. 91 

the citizens and farmers a liberal amount for theii 
seryices in capturing the robbers, and a settle- 
ment was made which was satisfactory to all par- 
ties. 

William left Verona about noon of the day he 
arrived, taking Hillary Farrington and Barton 
with him, under guard of Galway and Connell. 
On arriving in St. Louis^ he separated the prison- 
ers in order to induce Barton to confess; and, 
after a long conversation, in which he showed 
Barton how conclusive was the evidence against 
all three of the men, he obtained a very full con- 
fession, of which the greater part is here given 
exactly as it was taken down from Barton's lips. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

Barton's Confession. — The Express Mohberies and the 
Outlaws'' sub sequent. Experiences fully set forth there- 
in. — A Clue that had been suddenly dropped taken 
up with so tnuch Profit, that, after a desperate Strug- 
gle, another Desperado is Captured. 

*' T" AM twenty-two years of age," said Barton, 
JL '' and my native place was Columbus, Mis- 
sissippi. When quite young, I left home and 
took to following the army. About five or six 
years ago I moved to Normandy, Tennessee, and 
lived with the family of Major Landis, and two 
or three years later, I went to work on the Nash- 



92 barton's confession. 

ville and Northwestern Eailroad as a brakeman, 
remaining as such over two years. About three 
years since I formed the acquaintance of Hillary 
and Levi Farrington, at Waverly, Tennessee. 
These are the men otherwise known as J. H. 
Clark and Edward J. Eussell. Afterward I opened 
a saloon in Nashville, and Levi Harrington vis- 
ited me there several times. Last April or May 
he was arrested on suspicion of counterfeiting, 
but as there was no case against him, he was dis- 
charged. After a short time, I went down to visit 
Levi at Mrs. Farrington's; she lived at the head 
of Tumbling Kun Creek, twelve miles back of Gil- 
lem Station. Hillalt-y was in jail at Memphis at 
that time, charged with murder and horse-steal- 
ing. When he got out of jail, Levi, Hillary, and 
myself all made a trip to Little Eock, Arkan- 
sas, gambling by throwing three -card monte, and 
we won about thirteen hundred dollars; we then 
returned to Gillem Station, where we remained 
until the twenty-first of July, this year. During 
this time, Levi, who frequently rode back and 
forth on the express trains, spoke of the feasibil- 
ity of robbing them. 

'^ On the morning of July 21, Levi, Hillary, and 
myself left Gillem Station for the purpose of rob- 
bing the express train at some of the stations 
either on that road or on the Mobile and Ohio 
Eailroad. At Union City we changed cars, and 
arrived at Moscow just after dark. The j^lan was, 
that we all three should enter the car and over- 
power the messenger; but Levi and Hillary were 



barton's confession. 93 

the only ones who entered. I remained on the 
platform of the first passenger coach and kept 
watch. When the train was passing the water 
tank, they slacked up the speed, and we all 
jumped off and struck for the woods. The mes- 
senger had nothing whatever to do with this 
robbery, so far as I was ever informed. 

''As I said before, we struck into the woods 
and reached the river just above Hickman, where 
we stole a fisherman's skiff, and all three of us 
started down the river. Finding that we w^ere 
pursued, we left the skiff on the Tennessee shore, 
near Island Number Ten. We then took the 
river road and walked back as far as Lester's 
Landing, arriving tliere about dinner-time, July 
23. Levi divided the money, giving me one-third 
of one thousand dollars, which was all, he said, 
in the safe, although I always believed there was 
more. 

"So far as I know, neither of the Farringtons 
had ever met Lester before, and I am sure that I 
had never set eyes on him until we w^ent to his 
place at this time. On account of the spot being 
so lonely and isolated, Hillary proposed that we 
put up a store there, as it would be a good cover 
for our actual business. We started the store, 
and applied to the postmaster to establish a post- 
office, to be known as Lester's Landing ; our ob- 
ject in this move was, of course, to give an added 
color of respectability and bond fide business to 
our transactions. From this time until the mid- 
dle of October, I remained at the store nearly all 



94 barton's confession. 

the time ; Hillaiy was also there most of the time, 
but Levi very seldom. During one of the latter's 
western trips, he said he had been out to see his 
Aunt Durham. 

"Along in October, Levi proposed that we 
again strike the express company when the train 
stopped for supper at Union City. Hillary had 
been in the habit of riding back and forth on the 
engine, and he understood how to run a train. 
I^evi suggested that we take a man named Bill 
Taylor into the robbery with us ; he was then 
employed chopping wood for Lester, and when 
Levi approached him on the subject he agreed to 
go. Levi left Lester's a few days before the rob- 
bery. Hillary and I did not leave until the nine- 
teenth, when we went up to Columbus by steamer, 
taking along a large quantity of fish. Having 
sold our fish, we took the train for Union City, 
where we arrived the same evening. On getting 
off the train, we met Levi and Bill Taylor on the 
platform, and the only conversation which took 
place was when Levi asked why we had not ar- 
rived sooner, to which we replied that we came 
as soon as we could. The next morning we met 
again, having slept in separate places so as not to 
attract attention, and went down the road some 
distance toward Hickman. While camped in the 
woods that evening, about ten o'clock, an old 
man named Hicks came along with a bottle of 
whisky and stopped at our camp-fire quite a 
time. There were present Hillary, Levi, myself, 
and Bill Taylor. We remained in the woods all 



barton's confession. 95 

that night. The next day we moved further into 
the woods toward Hickman, and at night, just at 
dark, we came back to Union City. 

" We had been there only a few minutes when 
the up train came along; she stopped and backed 
down a httle ways, when all the train hands left 
her and went to supper. Hillary and Taylor 
then boarded the engine, and Levi and myself 
jumped aboard the express car. The messenger 
was eating his supper when we went in, and, 
seeing Levi point a Derringer at him, he ex- 
claimed: 'Don't shoot me ! I will surrender.' 
Levi compelled him to unlock the safe, and we 
took all the money. Levi then swung the mes- 
senger's lantern, and the train stopped, when we 
all jumped off and started down the railroad to 
Hickman. Our intention was to go to the wood- 
yard near Union City, and steal a ride on a freight 
train to Hickman. We hid under the platform 
at the wood-yard, and while there Levi acciden- 
tally shot himself in the thigh; but the wound 
was very slight, and it hardly interfered with his 
walking. As the freight train did not stop, we 
were obliged to walli to Hickman, where we ar- 
rived Sunday night. We had had some provis- 
ions when we first camped out, which Bill Tay- 
lor had carried in a vahse; but he had left the 
valise and all its contents on .he engine, so that 
we had very little to eat. 

''Wliile in the woods we divided the money, 
but Levi, who carried it, showed up only twenty- 
three hundred dollars. 



,;.r \ 



96 BARTON'S CONFESSION. 

*' Sunday night we stole a skiff in Hickman 
and went down the river to James' Bayou, and 
while there, on Monday morning, we saw Mes- 
senger Cross, whose car had been robbed, making 
inquiries about us in a grocery-store. We then 
started off on foot, going down the river on the 
Missouri shore. About a mile below James' 
Bayou we found the skiff which we had previously 
set adrift, and which had evidently been picked 
up by some one. Taking this skiff again, Hillary, 
Taylor, and I dropped down to a point about a mile 
above Lester's, leaving Levi on the Missouri shore, 
where we started from. We landed on the Ten- 
nessee shore, and walked down the river road a 
short distance, when Taylor left us, remaining in 
the woods. Hillary and I met Lester on the 
road soon afterward, and told him that we had 
come down on a steamboat which was then tied 
up, on account of the heavy fog. Levi arrived 
next day, having come across the river with a 
fisherman. 

^'The following Sunday, October 29, Hillary 
left on a steamboat, taking with him a woman 
named Slaughter, with whom he said he was go- 
ing to Davidson's wood-yard, nine miles above 
Cape Girardeau. He expected to return in a few 
days. 

*^The next thing of any importance which oc- 
curred was on the Tuesday night following, when 
Messrs. Pinkerton and Connell rode up to Lester's 
house. At the first glance, I thought they were 
ofBi^rs, and Levi told me that he thought the 



barton's confession.' 97 

same. I saw him pull his pistol out of his 
pocket before getting out of his chair." 

[The moment Connell opened the door, Levi 
knew that he was a detective, having seen him 
acting in that capacity in Memphis, when Hil- 
lary was arrested for horse -steahng the previous 
spring.] 

* 'When I made my escape from Lester's house, " 
continued Barton, ' ' I ran right back through the 
cornfield; I heard all the shooting, but did not 
see it. In a short time Levi joined me in the 
cane-brake back of the cornfield. Levi told me 
that he had had a shooting match with the two 
officers, but he did not know whether he had hit 
either of them or not; they had not hit him, but 
he had had a very narrow escape. 

^' After awhile we slipped up to the house, and 
saw that the officers were gone; so we went in, 
got our supper, and took our pistols, besides a 
shawl and blanket. We then got an old skiff, 
crossed the river, and slept in the woods on the 
Missouri shore. The next day we remained under 
cover until nightfall, when we recrossed the river, 
and went through the woods to Union City, 
spending Wednesday night and Thursday in the 
woods on the way. On Thursday night we took 
the train from Union City to Gillem Station. The 
conductor of the train was Conductor Roberts, on 
whose iTin I had formerly been brakeman; and, 
being afraid he might recognize me, I laid down 
in my seat and covered up my face, while Levi 
paid both fares. We arrived at Gillem StUl^i 

5 



98 barton's confession. 

about three o'clock in the morning, and reached 
Mrs. Farrington's house about dayhght. 

'^I gave Mrs. Farrington five hundred and fifty 
dollars in money to keep for me, this amount 
being the proceeds of both express robberies, and 
she still has it in her possession. Before leaving 
Lester's, Hillary had given most of his money to 
Levi to take to their mother to keep for him, and 
Levi left with her nearly the v^hole of his share of 
the plunder also. 

^'We had been at Mrs. Farrington's a week 
when Hillary arrived. Before this, we all thought 
that the officers had captured him, and we were 
quite surprised to see him safe. He said that 
Detective Connell had arrested him at Mrs. Gully's, 
and that he had made his escape by jumping out 
of Connell's wagon into a thicket near AUenville; 
he had then gone right back to the house where 
he had left Mrs. Slaughter, where he got a pistol 
and some money, and had his irons removed. 

*^ At the time Hillary arrived at Mrs. Farring- 
ton's, the old lady had been gone a day and a night 
on her way to Texas or Missouri. It was under- 
stood that Levi and I were to meet her some- 
where on the road, or at Helton's farm, near the 
line between Lawrence and Dade Counties, Mis- 
souri. The day after Hillary arrived, we started 
for Missouri; I was riding a sorrel horse; Hillary, 
a chestnut-sorrel horse; and Levi, a large brown 
mule. We spent two days at the house of Mr. 
Douglas, near Mrs. Farrington's, and then crossed 
tiJMpirennessee River at Cuba. We crossed the 



barton's confession. 99 

Mississippi River by the last ferryboat on Friday 
evening, November 10, at Hall's Ferry, opposite 
Point Pleasant, Missouri. We saw no men on 
guard at the ferries. We struck right out through 
Nigger- Wool Swamp to Bloomfield, where Levi 
left us. He said he was going to Farmington, 
Illinois, as that was a good place to keep under 
cover. After he left us, nothing important oc- 
curred until our arrest. We knew where Mrs. 
Farrington was every night, and also knew all 
about the two men who were following her; we 
did not mind letting them follow her, as they 
could not have captured us, and we could have 
shaken them off at any time if we had wanted to 
do so. 

''Levi and Hillary frequently spoke of making 
other raids upon the express company, and said 
what a soft thing it was. It was my intention to 
separate from them as soon as I could get my 
money from the old lady, as I wished to return to 
my friends below Columbus, Mississippi. 

' ' The foregoing is all I know of the Farring- 
tons or the express robberies. 

(Signed), ''William Barton." 

It wiU be observed how completely this confes- 
sion corroborated our investigations, there being 
few new points learned. The information that 
Mrs. Farrington had possession of nearly all the 
stolen money was valuable, and I sent instruc- 
tions to Cottrell, at once, to attach all of her 
property in the name of the Southern Express 



100 barton's confession. 

Company, if it could be done. But the most im- 
portant feature brought out was the hiding- 
place of Levi Farrington, which was given as 
Farmington, Illinois. It will be remembered that 
WiUiam found, at the store at Lester's Landing, 
some pieces of paper, upon which was scribbled, 
'^Kate Graham, Farmington, Illinois;" that I 
sent a detective to that place to see Mrs. Graham ; 
that the latter answered, with every evidence of 
truthfulness, that she did not know Russell, 
Clark, or Barton ; and that the clue was dropped 
immediately. From Barton, however, William 
learned that Mrs. Kate Graham was a cousin of 
the Farringtons, and that, being a highly respect- 
able and conscientious woman, she knew nothing 
of their aliases, nor of their crimes. It was there 
that Levi Farrington had gone to hide. Barton's 
confession was made on the fourteenth, and 
William instantly sent me a cipher dispatch con- 
taining the important features of it. By the 
evening train of that day, my other son, Eobert 
A. Pinkerton, took passage for Farmington, ac- 
companied by Detective W. T. Brown, of my 
force. They arrived there about noon the next 
day, and soon learned that Levi Farrington was 
staying with his relatives. Having presented 
letters of introduction to one or two influential 
men, Robert obtained an introduction to the 
city marshal, who promised to give all the aid in 
his power to arrest Farrington. 

About two o'clock they saw the latter coming 
down the street, and, by previous arrangement, 



barton's confession. 101 

Eobert allowed Levi to pass him, both walking 
toward Brown and the marshal. Levi Farring- 
ton was a very powerful man, standing six feet 
in his stockings, with a frame and muscles in 
proportion to his size. Eemembering the desper- 
ate character of the man, Eobert did not deem it 
advisable to give him any chance to draw a 
weapon or show fight; he therefore followed 
Farrington closely until he was about ten feet 
from the marshal, and then, springing at him, 
he pinioned the desperado's arms by clasping him 
tightly around the body just at the elbows. 
Farrington did not stop to question the cause of 
this proceeding — he knew the reason of his seiz- 
ure well enough — but, gathering his whole 
strength, he made one jump away from the 
two officers who were approaching in front, and 
landed nearly in the middle of the street, taking 
Eobert along with him. Eobert clung to him 
hke a vise, however, and before he could make 
another such an effort, the other two were upon 
him. A terrible struggle now ensued in the 
street, during which both Eobert and Brown were 
badly bruised by being rolled upon and kicked by 
their powerful prisoner. Eobert knew that Far- 
rington was desperate enough to fight to the 
bitter end, and that he would kill as many as he 
could before being killed himself; to release his 
arms, therefore, would enable him to draw a 
weapon, as he was undoubtedly Avell armed, hence 
Eobert never relaxed his hold. Having a profes- 
sional pride in securing his prisoner alive, more- 



102 barton's confession. 

over, he did not wish to resort to extreme measures 
except to save the Hves of other persons, and, as 
a large crowd had gatJiered aromid the moment 
the struggle began, there would have been evident 
danger in allowing him an instant's freedom. 
Over and over they rolled together, therefore, 
Farrington striving with all his strength to break 
Eobert's clasp upon his arms, while the other two 
officers were doing their best to pinion his legs. 
After a ten minutes' struggle, they succeeded at 
length in holding him down and sitting upon his 
legs until he could be tied with ropes. By this 
time, the whole party were pretty thoroughly 
exhausted, but, after resting a few minutes to 
recover their breath, the officers got handcuffs on 
their prisoner's wrists, and took him to the rail- 
road station, where he was searched. Little 
money was found on his person, but he had a large 
revolver, two Derringer pistols, and a large dirk 
concealed about him. He was then placed in the 
freight office, while Brown and Mr. Graham, Mrs. 
Kate Graham's husband, went to the latter's 
house to get Levi's baggage. On their return, 
the whole party took passage for Chicago, where 
they did not arrive until next day, owing to the 
failure to make connections. In Levi's valise 
were found two revolvers, some jewelry, and a 
very large sum of money. 

They arrived so late on Saturday that there 
was no train for Cairo before the following even- 
ing, and meantime the prisoner required the 
most careful watching, as none of our handcuffs 



ba^rton's confession. 103 

were large enough to fit his wrists without cut- 
ting into the flesh. Eobert and Brown were com- 
pletely prostrated by the strain upon their muscles 
and the injuries they had received, so that they 
felt the effects of the struggle for several days. 

The moment that Eobert arrived in Chicago 
with his prisoner, the latter was taken to the 
First Precinct pohce station, where he was placed 
in a cell for safe keeping. During the afternoon 
it was learned that h'e had sent for a lawyer to 
obtain a writ of habeas corpus. The arrest had 
been made without any warrant, and no requisi- 
tion had been obtained for use in Illinois, as I had 
expected to capture all three of the men in Mis- 
souri. Should Farrington succeed in getting the 
desired writ, I should be forced to give up my 
hold upon him, and, before the requisition of the 
Governor of Tennessee upon the Governor of II- 
hnois could be received, he would be probably 
beyond the reach of pursuit. 

I therefore procured a closed vehicle and took 
the prisoner out for a drive, carefully bound, with 
two reliable men as guards. The afternoon was 
thus spent, and, after dark, there being no longer 
any object in driving around the suburbs of the 
city, Farrington was taken to my office and kept 
all night. He behaved very well, and did not 
seem anxious to get away by force. He tried, 
however, to induce Robert to let him go, telling 
him that it would be worth a very large amount 
of money to him to do so. Finding his offers dis- 
regarded, he appeared to take his arrest very 



104 A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 

coolly, saying that he guessed he had money 
enough to see him through. 

On Sunday evening, Eobert and Brown took 
him to the railroad station, and the party em- 
barked for Cairo. 



CHAPTEE X. 

A terrible Struggle for Life or Death upon the Transfer- 
boat '''■Illinois.'''' — '■''Overboard!'^'' — One less Des- 
perado. — The Fourth and Last Robber taken. 

<^ 

AFTEE Barton had made his confession 
to William in St. Louis, the prisoners, 
Hillary Farrington and Barton, were kept separate, 
as the latter was afraid that Hillary would find 
some means of killing him. About midnight of 
Thursday, December fourteenth, they all took 
passage by railroad for Cairo, and there they im- 
mediately went on board the large transfer-boat 
to Columbus, Kentucky. All the detectives were 
thoroughly worn out from excitement and loss of 
sleep, but they did not for an insant relax their' 
vigilant watch upon their prisoners. William 
had been talking for some time with Hillary, 
trying to obtain a confession and to learn what 
had been done with the money secured at the two 
robberies. From the questions that William 
asked, Hillary soon learned, or surmised, that 
Barton had confessed. He was terribly enraged 



A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 105 

at this, and without doubt he would hav^e killed 
Barton if he could have got at him; but being 
unable to do so, his fury was all turned upon his 
captors. 

My son hoped by threatening to have Mrs. 
Farrington arrested and imprisoned, to induce 
Hillary to give up his share of the plunder rather 
than have his mother punished. This threat 
seemed to infuriate him beyond anything, and he 
swore that he would have his revenge on William 
if he had to wait twenty years for it. After sitting 
sullenly tliinking on the subject for a time, he 
said he was cold, and wanted to get a drink. 
Wilham therefore offered to go with him into the 
bar-room, and they walked toward the forward 
end of the saloon, leaving Galway and Barton 
seated together. Connell had gone into the 
water-closet a few moments before, but, as there 
was a detective with each of the prisoners, no 
attempt at escape was anticipated. 

The steamer was the powerfully-built transfer- 
boat " Illinois," and she was running with great 
speed, her ponderous wheels revolving at an un- 
usually rapid rate. The bar-room was situated 
just forward of the saloon, after passing through 
the barber shop, and it could be entered from the 
saloon or through a door leading upon the guards, 
just forward of the paddle-box. 

As they were about to enter the barber shop 

from the saloon, Hillary drew back, saying that 

he did not want to go that way, as there were 

some men in that room whom he knew. They 
5* 



106 A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 

therefore went out upon the guards to walk along 
to the outer door of the bar-room. The space 
was narrow, and the rail quite low, so that it 
would not have been at all difficult for a man to 
spring overboard, even though he were in irons. 
This idea occurred to William, but he did not 
trouble himself about it, since he knew that the 
heavy strokes of the paddle-wheel would instantly 
kill any one who might attempt such a thing. 
William wore a loose-fitting sack coat with large 
pockets, in one of which he carried a heavy army 
revolver, which he had taken from Hillary, his 
own revolver being in his belt. In walking it 
was his habit to put his hand on the butt of this 
army revolver, which protruded somewhat from 
the pocket. On reaching the door, however, he 
took his right hand from the pistol to turn the 
knob. This was a careless action, of which he 
never would have been guilty, had he been less 
fatigued, mentally and physically, but, being so 
used up as to act almost mechanically, his habit- 
ual though tfulness was momentarily absent, and 
he was caught off his guard for an instant in a 
manner which nearly cost him his life. It should 
be understood that the scene which ensued oc- 
curred so rapidly as to occupy less time in its 
passage than is required to read about it, and that 
during those few seconds a struggle of life and 
death was going on. 

Hardly had William's hand touched the door- 
knob ere he felt the pistol drawn out of his coat 
pocket. He knew there was but one person who 



A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 107 

could have done it, and that person was a perfect 
devil thirsting for his blood. Turning like a 
flash, he seized Farrington by both wrists, just as 
the latter was trying to cock the pistol; then 
there was a terrible contest. The pistol was in 
Farrington's hands, which were held so close to- 
gether by the irons as to make it impossible to 
w^rench one aw^ay from the other; it was pointed 
directly at Wilham's head, and should Farring- 
ton succeed in cocking it, William's death would 
be instantaneous. All his energies, therefore, 
were directed tow^ard keeping Farrington's hands 
far enough apart to prevent him from drawing 
back the hammer. The space was too narrow to 
permit of such a struggle mthout one party or 
the other being forced back upon the rail, and, in 
a moment, William had lifted his lighter antago- 
nist from the deck, pressing him against the rail- 
ing, and at the same time shouting for assistance. 
In response to his call, Connell came running out 
in dishabille, with his pistol in one hand and his 
pantaloons in the other. At this moment the 
cold muzzle of the pistol was pressed against 
William's temple, and he heard the click of the 
hammer as his desperate prisoner succeeded in 
drawing it back. He made a violent plunge for- 
ward, ducking his head as he did so, and simulta- 
neously the pistol exploded close to his ear, the 
ball ploughing a little furrow in the scalp, while the 
pow^der scorched his neck and hair. Staggering 
back stunned and dizzy for a moment, he was 
caught by Connell, who asked whether he was 



108 A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 

much hurt. He soon gathered his senses, and, 
findmg his wound to be only trifling, he asked 
what had become of Farrington. Connell pointed 
overboard, and no further answer was necessary; 
no man dropping in front of those wheels could 
have lived for an instant, and, even had he not 
been struck, he could not have kept himself up in 
the rapid current then running filled with fine ice. 

By this time the bar-room, barber shop, and sa- 
loon had been emptied of their occupants, and 
the boat had been stopped to see whether the man 
could be picked up; but, as this was clearly hope- 
less, the trip was soon resumed. Connell's arrival 
had been most opportune for William, since he 
had caught the weapon the moment it was dis- 
charged, and succeeded in changing the course of 
the bullet sutliciently to save William's life. 
Thinking, however, that William had been killed, 
Connell had struck Farrington on the head Avith 
his pistol almost simultaneously with the explo- 
sion, and the blow, aided by the plunge which 
William made forward in endeavoring to dodge 
the pistol-shot, had sent Farrington over the rail 
into the water, where he was undoubtedly killed 
the next instant by the paddle-wheels. 

The fact of the man's death was so absolutely 
certain that no person could doubt it, if acquainted 
with the circumstances; yet there were not want- 
ing people who insinuated that he had been 
allowed to escape by jumping overboard and 
swimming ashore. The absurdity of such a story 
is manifest, for, even supposing that his irons had 



A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 109 

been removed, and that he had escaped injury 
from the paddle-wheels, he never could have 
swam ashore at the spot where the affair occurred. 
The nearest point of the river bank was more than 
three hundred yards away, and the current at that 
place was running off the shore; besides, the 
night was very cold, and the water was covered 
with a film of ice, so that after five minutes' im- 
mersion in it, a man would have become wholly 
numbed and insensible. 

Barton was not at all surprised when he heard 
of Hillary Farrington's death, for he said that he 
knew Hillary so well that he had expected 
nothing else from the time he was taken; he was 
so desperate that his intention undoubtedly had 
been to have seized William and dragged him 
overboard; but, seeing the pistol, another idea 
had probably occurred to him. Barton said that 
had Hillary succeeded in killing William, he would 
have gone up to the pilot-house with the revolver, 
and forced the pilot to land him immediately; 
once on shore, his knowledge of the country 
would have enabled him to escape again. What- 
ever had been his plans, however, he had failed 
in his attempt at murder, and had paid the 
penalty of his rashness with his life. 

The rest of the party went on to Columbus, 
where they took passage for Union City, arriving 
there Friday morning. 

About this time, Mr. Ball, who had been sent 
to follow the wagon train of Mrs. Farrington, re- 
ported, after a silence of several days, that he had 



110 A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 

traced her into the Indian Territory. In point of 
fact, she was settled at Ash Grove, near Mount 
Vernon, in Greene County, Missouri, and had 
been there ever since Hillary and Barton had left 
her before their arrest at Durham's. It will thus 
be seen how fortunate it was that I had not 
trusted to Ball and Bledsoe to keep track of Mrs. 
Farrington, since they had utterly lost the trail, 
and had followed another set of wagons for sev- 
eral days as far as the Indian Territory ; when, 
probably suspecting that he had made a mistake. 
Ball telegraphed to the express company's officers 
for instructions. He was then ordered to return at 
once with Bledsoe, the whole party having been 
captured by that time. 

While speaking of Mrs. Farrington, I may as 
well give an account of all our dealings with her, 
irrespective of the chronological order of the 
story : 

Having received Barton's order upon her for all 
of the wagons and stock, and for five hundred 
and fifty dollars in money, Cottrell endeavored to 
attach her property in a civil suit. She insisted 
that she had none of Barton's money — indeed, 
that she had no money at all — and she refused to 
give up anything. At last, finding that he could 
not legally attach her property, Cottrell took the 
bold step of arresting her for receiving stolen 
goods. She was taken to Mount Vernon, where 
she engaged a lawyer to defend her, and then, of 
course, Cottrell was also obliged to employ a legal 
adviser. At length, a compromise was effected, 



A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. Ill 

by which Mrs. Farrington was allowed to retain 
a small portion of the property ; Cottrell then 
took possession of the remainder as agent of the 
express company, and Mrs. Farrington was dis- 
charged from custody. After selling some of the 
animals, Cottrell shipped all the remaining chat- 
tels to St. Louis, where the agent of the express 
company took charge of them. The two detec- 
tives then returned to Chicago, and no further 
attention was paid to Mrs. Farrington. 

On Saturday, after the arrival of William's 
party, with Barton, in Union City, Detectives 
Galway and Connell started out to arrest Bill 
Taylor, the fourth one of the party of robbers. 

This man was a long, lank, round-shouldered 
fellow, with putty face, long, straggling hair and 
beard, and a vacant expression of countenance, 
who hved by hunting and chopping wood, below 
Lester's Landing, in the vicinity of Reel's Foot 
Lake. William had been satisfied of his com- 
plicity in the robbery for some time previous to 
the arrest of the others, but he had not arrested 
him for the reason that he was sure of picking 
him up whenever he wished to do so ; and, know- 
ing Taylor to have been merely a weak accom- 
plice, he was anxious to secure the leaders in the 
crime first. Barton's confession made the sus- 
picion of Taylor's guilt a certainty, and so Gal- 
way and Connell were sent to arrest him.- 

At Mr. Merrick's they obtained a good guide, 
and four other citizens joined them, so that iiiey 
had quite a formidable party. After visiting sev- 



112 A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 

eral houses in the cane-brake, they learned where 
Taylor was staying, and, on going there, they 
saw him looking at them from a front window. 
Galway asked Taylor to come down a few min- 
utes to give them some information, and Taylor 
unsuspectingly complied. He had been allowed 
to go free so long, and had so often talked with 
William and others about the robbery, that he 
did not imagine their object on this occasion. 
On coming into the yard, therefore, he greeted 
the men cordially, supposing them to be a party 
scouting for the other robbers, of whose arrest he 
had not heard. When he saw a couple of navy 
revolvers close to his head, and heard an order to 
throw up his hands, he surrendered without a 
word. He was evidently badly frightened, but 
he would not confess having had any part in the 
robbery, and he refused to tell where his share of 
the money was concealed. He was placed on 
ConnelPs horse and taken to Merrick's, where 
another horse was obtained, and the party went 
on to Hickman; thence he was taken by wagon 
to Union City, arriving there about midnight of 
Saturday. Both Barton and Taylor were placed 
in rooms in the hotel, where they were carefully 
watched night and day by my detectives, the 
county jail being almost useless as a place for 
keeping prisoners. 

On learning that the whole party had been ar- 
rested, Taylor made a very full confession of all 
the circumstances connected with the robbery, 
and the movements of the robbers after it had 



A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. 113 

occurred. He confirmed Barton's account in every 
particular, but revealed nothing new of any im- 
portance. His share of the stolen money had 
been only about one hundred and fifty dollars, 
as Levi had made him believe that they had ob- 
tained only six hundred dollars in all. About 
fifty dollars were found on Taylor's person; the 
rest he had spent. He said that Levi Farrington 
had hidden all the checks, drafts, and unnegotia- 
ble paper underneath an old log in the woods, 
but that he could not tell where the log was, nor 
find it, since it was not marked in any way, nor 
had they taken any bearings by which to remem- 
ber it. He gave an account of the evening when 
Hicks, the tipsy planter, came to their camp-fire, 
which agreed exactly with the previous state- 
ments of Hicks and Barton; but one slight re- 
mark in his confession seemed to account for the 
fifth man mentioned by Hicks. Taylor said 
that during most of the time Hicks was at their 
camp, one or two of the party were lying on the 
ground with their feet toward the fire, and that 
there was a log of wood lying beside them. 
Now, it is probable that Hicks was just drunk 
enough to be unable to tell the difference be- 
tween a man and a log, especially as, in his de- 
scription of the men, he gave the appearance of 
Hillary Farrington twice as belonging to differ- 
ent persons. Hicks's vision was somewhat un- 
certain that night, evidently. 



114: THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 



CHAPTER XI. 

The last Scene iii the Drainci approaching, — A new Char- 
acter appears. — The Ciiizens of Union City suddenly 
see'in to have itnjyortant business on hand. — The 
Vigilantes and their Work. — Their Bullets and Judge 
Lynch administer a. quietus to Levi Farrington and 
David Towler. — Tlie End. 

THE last scene in this drama seemed about to 
end in the complete defeat of the whole 
gang of villains and the triumph of law and jus- 
tice, when a new character came upon the stage, 
and the curtain fell upon a bloody tragedy. That 
substantial justice was done cannot be denied, 
though the manner of its execution was beyond 
and outside all forms of law. It was a striking 
instance of the manner in which an outraged 
community, particularly in the West and South, 
will arrive at a satisfactory settlement of import- 
ant questions without the intervention of courts, 
juries, or lawyers. The court of Judge Lynch 
makes mistakes occasionally, but it rarely ad- 
mits of an appeal from its decision. 

Robert arrived in Union City with Levi Far- 
rington on Monday, December eighteenth, and 
he took his prisoner to the hotel for safe keeping, 
with the others. They were kept in separate 
rooms, and a detective remained with each of 
them constantly. William spent several hours 
with Levi Farrington, trying to induce him to 



THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 115 

tell where he had hidden the stolen papers, and 
also what he had done with his share of the 
money, of which he had undoubtedly retained 
the greater part. Finally he agreed to return all 
the papers, and about twenty-five hundred dollars 
besides, on condition that he should receive a 
sentence of only five years in the penitentiary on 
entering a plea of guilty. Having agreed to this 
arrangement, William went to his room, which 
w^as a large one, with several beds, occupied by 
Eobert, Brown, and Connell. As the men of my 
force were all pretty well used up, Taylor and 
Barton were placed in the same room, with Gal- 
way guarding them, while Farrington, being 
such a desperate fellow, was put in another 
room, with three of the Union City policemen as 
guards. 

Soon after the arrival of Robert with Levi Far- 
rington, a man, named David Towler, tried to 
get admission to Farrington's room. On being 
denied, he was very insolent, and he insisted on 
seeing Farrington alone. Finding that this would 
not be permitted, he went away cursing the 
officers and swearing to be revenged. His actions 
naturally attracted the attention of the police, 
and caused him to be regarded with a great deal 
of suspicion, as a probable member of the Far- 
rington party of robbers. About eleven o'cLock 
that night, a policeman, named Benjamin Kline, 
discovered this man Towler with a drawn revol- 
ver, skulking behind a car standing on the side 
track near the depot. He immediately called for 



116 THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 

the railroad company's night watchman, and the 
two approached the thief to arrest him. The 
man instantly shot Kline through the lungs, and 
then shot Moran, the watchman. Kline's wound 
was mortal, and he died in a few minutes, while 
Moran was supposed to be fatally hurt also. The 
pistol-shots quickly drew a crowd, and a few 
determined men gave chase to the murderer. 
After quite a long pursuit he was captured, and 
brought back to the station where Kline had just 
died. A justice of the peace held a preliminary 
examination at once, and the prisoner, David 
Towler, was held for murder, without bail. He 
was known to be a low, desperate fellow, who 
had been imprisoned for horse -stealing and other 
kindred crimes, until he was regarded almost as 
an outlaw. He had long lived near Eeel's Foot 
Lake, and while there he had become acquainted 
with the Farringtons. That their friendship was 
more than that of two casual acquaintances was 
shown by an important circumstance discovered 
by William. It will be remembered that when 
Levi Farrington stopped in Cairo to send eight 
hundred dollars to his mother, he purchased two 
of the largest-sized Smith & Wesson revolvers. 
They were exact fac-similes of each other, and 
were numbered 1,278 and 1,279 respectively. At 
the time of Levi's arrest, only one of these revol- 
vers was found, and he said that he had given 
away the other to a friend, retaining number 
1,279 himself. When Towler was captured, 
William happened to notice that his revolver was 



THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. Ill 

similar to the one Levi had carried. This would 
have been nothing to be remarked under ordinary 
circumstances, since there were, undoubtedly, 
many of these revolvers in use, all exactly alike 
except in number ; but Wilham connected this 
man Towler's appearance in Union City with the 
arrival of the express robbers, and the new revol- 
ver caught his eye at once. On closely examining 
it, his suspicions were fully confirmed : it was 
mimftered 1,278, and was, without question, the 
mate to Levi's, bought by him in Cairo and given 
to Towler. 

When this news became known to the throng 
of citizens whom the shooting of Khne and Moran 
had drawn together, the feehng against all the 
prisoners became intense, and when Towler was 
committed by the justice to the guard of the men 
who were watching Levi, the citizens began to 
depart very suddenly, as if they either had im- 
portant business elsewhere, or were in a hurry to 
get home. By midnight the town was quiet, and 
after a visit to the guards, to caution them to be 
extra vigilant, William and Kobert retired to their 
room, together with Brown and Connell. 

Young Kline, w^hom Towler had murdered, was 
very highly esteemed in Union City, and his death 
at the hands of an outlaw would have aroused 
deep indignation at any time ; but just now there 
were additional reasons why the affair should ex- 
cite a desire for summary vengeance upon his 
assassin. It had been shown that Towler must 
have formerly been on intimate terms with the 



118 THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 

Farringtons, and these latter were well known as 
desperadoes, whose hand was turned against every 
man; hence, the crimes of the whole party were 
considered as a sort of partnership affaii*, for 
which each member of the firm was individually 
liable. But, besides the natural indignation of 
the law-abiding citizens for the crimes committed 
by these men, there was a widespread sense of 
insecurity so long as they were in that vicinity. 
Towler had remarked, when captured, that he 
would soon be out again, and all the prisoners 
bore themselves with an air of bravado, as if they 
had no fear nor expectation of punishment. It 
was beheved that a, number of friends of the gang 
among the desperadoes living in Nigger- Wool 
Swamp and near Eeel's Foot Lake intended to at- 
tempt the rescue of the whole party of express 
robbers, before they could be consigned to a secure 
place of confinement. The citizens who had 
risked their lives to capture Towler and the others, 
who had turned out in time to see poor Kline die 
in agony, were determined that nothing should 
occur to prevent justice from reaching the crim- 
inals, and exacting the fullest penalty for their 
numerous crimes; hence the sudden departure of 
the throng who had attended Towler's preliminary 
examination before the justice. They did not go 
to their homes, but gathered in a secluded place, 
and formed a Committee of Safety. The question 
as to what course would best protect the lives 
and property of the community was then dis- 
cussed, and a conclusion was soon reached, with- 
out a dissenting voice. 



THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 119 

Throughout the town all was hushed in the 
usual stillness of a winter's night; no lights were 
burning anywhere, save in an occasional sick- 
chamber, and sleep seemed to have fallen ahke 
upon the just and unjust. In one room of the 
hotel were Barton and Taylor, guarded by Gahvay 
and an employe of the express company, while 
near by was the room where Levi Farrington 
and David Towler were watched by three of the 
city policemen. A dim hght burned in each room, 
and, while the guards paced the floor in their 
stocking feet, the prisoners lay on their beds in 
deep slumber. Not a memory of the past, full as 
it was of scenes of crime and blood, came to break 
their repose; not a thought of the future, with 
its possibilities of punishment, caused them to 
lose one moment of their customary rest. Fear 
they had never known; remorse was long since 
forgotten; unconscious or careless of their im- 
pending doom, they slept the night away. 

About two o'clock there was a stealthy gather- 
ing of masked men at the door of the hotel, and, 
at a given signal from the leader, a certain num- 
ber slipped up-stairs with httle noise, and filled the 
corridor from which the prisoners' rooms opened. 
So sudden was their appearance and so quiet their 
approach that even the wakeful guards scarce 
heard them until the doors were forced open. 
Then the pohcy of silence was dropped, and a 
rush upon the guards was made. A battery of 
pistols suddenly confronted them, and, as resist- 
ance was clearly impossible, an unconditional 



120 THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 

surrender was at once made. The bursting in of 
the doors awakened WiUiam and Eobert, who 
hastily sprang up, and, without stopping to put 
on any clothing, opened their door, pistol in hand. 
This move, however, had been anticipated by the 
vigilantes, and a dozen or more pistols were thrust 
in their faces as they appeared in the doorway. 

^'Go back, Pinkerton, we don't want to hurt 
you," said one of the men outside, and they were 
pushed back into the room, while the door tn^s 
hastily closed in their faces. 

To resist such a body with the few men at his 
command, William knew, would be suicidal, and 
he did not especially care to sacrifice himself in 
the interest of such a villainous band as those 
whom the vigilantes were seeking. The four de- 
tectives, therefore, dressed themselves and re- 
mained in their room awaiting further develop- 
ments. 

Having overpowered the guards, the leader of 
the vigilantes ordered the removal of Towler, and, 
as the latter was hustled out of the door, Levi 
Farrington knew that his hour had come. Stand- 
ing up and facing the remainder of the crowd, 
who had withdrawn to the further side of the 
room, he defied them all, and told them to fire 
away. A volley of pistol-shots was the reply to 
his words, and a rattling fire continued for two 
or three minutes; when it ceased, Levi Farring- 
ton was no more, his body having been struck by 
more than thirty balls, almost any one of which 
would have been instantaneously fatal. His 



THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 121 

body was left where it fell, and the room was 
soon deserted as the party hastened after the de- 
tachment which had Towler in charge. The 
whole affair was over in ten minutes, and when 
the detectives again left their room none of the 
masked party were to be seen. Levi Farring- 
ton's body was f omid in his room, but no trace of 
Towler could be discovered. Finding that the 
excitement was over, the detectives returned to 
bed, leaving Barton and Taylor still carefully 
guarded. The former had slept through the con 
fusion and noise without even a start or restless 
movement, but Taylor was terribly frightened, 
and he fully expec*ted to be lynched also. 

The next morning at breakfast, William was 
informed that the body of Towler had been found 
hanging to a tree near the graveyard, and, on 
going to the spot, they found him as represented. 
At the coroner's inquest little testimony could be 
obtained further than that one man had been shot 
to death and the other hung by parties unknown, 
and the verdict was rendered accordingly. There 
was naturally considerable excitement over the 
affair for two or three days, but the general ver- 
dict was, ^'Served 'em right." However violent 
had been their taking off, there were few who 
did not feel that society demanded their death, 
not only as a punishment for their past crimes, 
but as a means of security in the future. Be- 
lieving that a sentence to the penitentiary was 
wholly inadequate, and that their escape there- 
from was not only possible, but probable, the cit- 

6 



122 THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 

izens preferred to take no risks of future rob- 
beries and murders by these desperadoes, and 
they therefore took the most effectual method of 
preventing their occurrence. Their action was 
illegal, it is true, but then it was just — which is a 
mure important consideration sometimes. 

On the following Friday, Barton and Taylor 
had their preliminary hearing before a justice, 
when they waived examination, and were com- 
mitted for trial in default of bail in the sum of 
ten thousand dollars each. Upon the representa- 
tion to the justice that the county jail was an 
unsafe place to confine the prisoners, permission 
was obtained to remove them to the jail in Mem- 
phis; the proper papers were made out, and the 
transfer was made under WiUiam's management. 

The death of Levi Farrington made the recovery 
of the missing checks, papers, and money an im- 
possibility, since neither Barton nor Taylor were 
able to conduct the officers to the place where 
they were hidden. Barton gave the company a 
bill of sale of the goods in the store at Lester's 
Landing, however, and an assignment of all debts 
due the firm, from which about five or six hun- 
dred dollars were eventually realized. Eobert 
and Brown attended to this matter and retui'ned 
to Chicago. William was on duty until the two 
remaining prisoners were safely lodged in jail in 
Memphis, and then, having settled up all the 
business of which he had had charge, he also re- 
turned home. 

At the next term of court in Obion County. 



THE LAST SCENE IN THE DRAMA. 123 

Tennessee, Barton and Taylor pleaded guilty of 
grand larceny, and were each sentenced to five 
years' confinement at hard labor in the peniten- 
tiary. Thus, out of a party of four engaged in 
this robbery, two were finally brought to trial 
and appropriately punished, while the other two 
would have been so punished also, had not a 
higher penalty been demanded by the circum- 
stances of their cases, aggravated by their own 
brutal and revengeful dispositions. No reminis- 
cence in my experience shows a more striking 
illustration of the certainty of retribution for 
crime than does the career and fate of these out- 
laws of the Southwest. 



THE END. 



DON PEDRO AND THE DETECTIVES. 



CHAPTER I . 

A Fraudulent Scheme contemplated. — A Dashing Peru-' 
man Don and Donna. — A Regal Forger. — Mr. 
PinJcerton engaged hy Senator Muirhead to unveil 
the Mystery of his Life. — The Don and Donna 
Morito arrive at Gloster. — ^^ Personnel of Gloster'^s 
^^ First Families.'''' 

THE history of crimes against prosperity is of 
vital interest to the public. The ingenuity 
of thieves, burglars, forgers, and confidence men 
is active and incessant, so that their plans are 
often successful even against the experience and 
precautions of men of the most wary and cautious 
character. This seems to be especially true when 
the amounts at stake are large, for petty attempts 
to defraud are so frequent, that when a criminal 
plays for a large sum, the suspicion of the capi- 
talist is wholly allayed by the improbability that 
a mere swindler should undertake an operation 
of such magnitude. Indeed, in many cases the 
cupidity of the victim is so great that the sharper 
hardly offers the bait ere it is swallowed by some 
confiding simpleton. Hence, as a warning for 
the future, the lessons of past frauds possess no 
small degree of interest and value to the world ; 

[125] 



126 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

and as there is no portion of society free from 
the depredations of these schemers, their varioas 
wiles and snares cannot be exposed too often. 

More than twenty years ago, the city of 
Gloster was one of the most thriving cities of the 
West. Controlhng the interior trade to a large 
extent, its interests were of the most varied cha- 
racter, and its inhabitants were already distin- 
guished as being more cosmopolitan than those 
of any other city in the Union, except New York. 
They had imbibed, perhaps, some of the genius 
of the prairies, and their scorn of petty methods 
of doing business, their breadth of charity and 
hearty hospitality, were as boundless as the great 
plains gf which the city was the business center 
at that time. Among such a people, a plausible 
adventurer had a fine field of operation, and I 
was not surprised when I was asked to go to 
Gloster in the latter part of the winter to investi- 
gate the character of some persons who were 
living there. 

The application came from Senator Muirhead, 
a man whom I had long known, both in his pub- 
lic and private life. His suspicions were of the 
vaguest possible character, and a hasty examina- 
tion of the case failed to convince me that they 
were well founded; yet he was convinced in his 
own mind that there was a fraudulent scheme in 
contemplation, and his positive conviction had 
great weight with me. The Senator's interest in 
the case had led him to make extensive inquiries 
into the antecedents of these parties, but he was 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 127 

unable to trace thein further back than their arri- 
val in New York, several months before. There 
they had suddenly appeared in society with a 
great display of wealth, stating that they had 
been traveling in Europe for some time, and were 
gradually making their way back to Peru, where 
they lived. Don Pedro P. L. de Morito and his 
wife, having enjoyed life in JSTew York for several 
months, now proposed to spend at least a year in 
Gloster, and it was this couple whose character 
was suspected by the Senator. Indeed, he felt 
sure that, at least, they were traveling under as- 
sumed names, and certain coincidences led him 
to believe that they were adroit swindlers of the 
most capable, dangerous type. He had discovered 
a chain of circumstantial evidence which needed 
only one link to make a clear connection between 
certain crimes and these fascinating Peruvians, 
and it was for the purpose of discovering this 
link that he had requested my aid. In brief, his 
suspicions were, that after innumerable frauds in 
other countries, this plausible pair had settled in 
Gloster to add to their ill-gotten wealth by some 
new scheme of viUainy. His theoretic history of 
the man, derived from various sources, mainly 
newspapers in which crimes had been described 
bearing the same style of workmanship, was as 
follows : 

Jose Gomez, a cadet of the ancient Brazilian 
family of that name, began life with a fine phys- 
ique, ample mental endo^vments. and a high so- 
cial position. He was the heir- expect ant of a 



128 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

valuable estate, and no pains were spared upon 
his education. As he grew to manhood, how- 
ever, his habits became such as to excite the 
gravest apprehensions as to his future, and by 
the time he was thirty years of age he Avas a 
reckless libertine, gambler, and spendthrift. Find- 
ing that his source of supphes was about to be 
cut off by his family, he obtained large sums of 
money by means of forged paper, with which he 
fled from Eio Janeiro to Lima, Peru. His where- 
abouts were not discovered for a long time, but 
when the information was received, the Brazilian 
Government made an effort to obtain his extra- 
dition. He was living in fine style in Lima, un- 
der the assumed name of Juan Sanchez, and, in 
some way, he was warned of his danger. Before 
any steps had been taken to expose or arrest him, 
he perpetrated another series of forgeries, by 
which he obtained a large amount of money, and 
then wholly disappeared. The aggregate of his 
forgeries was so great that a considerable no- 
toriety attached to the case, and the facts were 
pubhshed in full in the leading newspapers of 
this country. 

About the time of the great rush to California, 
after the gold discoveries there, a gentleman 
known as Don Jose Michel appeared in San Fran- 
cisco, where he lived in regal splendor; indeed, 
his extravagance was so great as to make him 
conspicuous even among the reckless throng who 
filled the Golden City. After wasting a fortune 
with a prodigal hand, however, he suddenly van- 



i 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 129 

ished, and, although little was known positively 
on the subject, it was commonly understood that 
he had swindled a number of bankers and cap- 
itahsts by worthless notes, drafts, and checks, 
many of which were wholly or partly forged. 
The men thus defrauded kept the matter quiet, 
both because they were ashamed to acknowledge 
how easily they had been imposed upon, and be- 
cause they hoped to facilitate the capture of the 
criminal by working in secret. The incidents 
were related to Senator Muirhead in a casual con- 
versation with a friend who had recently re- 
turned from the Pacific coast, and the description 
given of Don Jose Michel taUied exactly with 
that of Juan Sanchez and Jose Gomez. 

By an odd coincidence, the month after the de- 
parture of Don Jose Michel from San Francisco, 
a briUiant gentleman of nearly the same name 
appeared in Quito, Ecuador, where he pursued a 
course so exactly similar in character to that of 
Gomez, Sanchez, and Michel, that it was not diffi- 
cult to imagine that that ubiquitous person was 
identical with the elegant Don Pedro Michel who 
created such a brief excitement in Quito, termi- 
nating with forgery and a hasty flight. 

About two years previous to the time of which 
I write, a wealthy Brazilian arrived in London, 
and became a great favorite in society. His wife 
was a beautiful Spaniard, and her exquisite taste, 
courtesy, and knowledge of the world were highly 
appreciated by the select circle of aristocracy into 
which she and her husband were soon admitted. 
6* 



130 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

Don Jos6 Arias was the name of this gentleman, 
and he was soon known in nearly every drawing- 
room in Belgravia. He was introduced by the 
Brazilian charge d'affaires, in the absence of the 
Minister Resident, and this semi-official guarantee 
of his position in Brazil gave him a passport every- 
where. It was not strange, therefore, that such a 
handsome, refined, and agreeable couple should 
be cordially and hospitably received, especially as 
their wealth was undoubtedly enormous, while 
their manners showed that they had been born in 
the purple of aristocracy. It was a sad shock to 
society when it was learned that Don Jose and 
Donna Maria had absconded suddenly, taking with 
them about fifty thousand pounds sterling, ob- 
tained by forgery. It was then learned that the 
Brazilian legation had been the victim of forged 
documents also, though the intimate acquaintance 
of Don Jose with the policy and statecraft of 
Brazil in many important affairs had contributed 
largely to his success in deceiving the young 
diplomat who was temporarily in charge of the 
legation. 

It was not until more than a year after this oc- 
currence that Don Pedro P. L. de Morito arrived 
in New York, with his beautiful wife, Donna 
Lucia. They did not stop long in New York after 
their arrival, but spent the latter part of the sum- 
mer in the White Mountains in a very retired 
manner, although they lived in the best style 
that the place afforded. In August, they made 
a hasty trip to Washington and back to New 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 131 

York again, where they began a more pretentious 
mode of Hfe than they had chosen theretofore. 
Don Pedro kept a yacht elegantly fitted up, and 
his horses were the best that money could ob- 
tain. His bachelor suppers were models of epi- 
curean perfection, and when his wife gave a re- 
ception, everything was in the best taste and 
style. While visiting Washington, Don Pedro 
had met Senator Muirhead, who had gone there 
for a few days on public business, and the ac- 
quaintance was renewed in New York, where the 
Senator had some private interests demanding 
his attention. Something had led the Senator to 
connect Don Pedro with Gomez, Sanchez, Michel, 
and Arias, and though the idea was a vague one 
in his mind, it was sufficiently fixed to cause him 
to institute inquiries into Senor Morito's antece- 
dents. As previously stated, nothing could be 
learned of him previous to his arrival in New 
York, and the only circumstance wiiich could 
possibly be regarded as suspicious was, that both 
in Washington and New York he had avoided 
meeting the Peruvian Minister and other fellow- 
countrymen. 

The peculiarity of the case interested me, and, 
after a long conversation with the Senator, I 
agreed to unravel the slight mystery surrounding 
the parties, and to make a complete review of 
their past history so far as it might be possible to 
obtain it. No harm could result from such a 
course, whether they were honest or the reverse; 
and so, having decided upon a simple plan, I re- 



132 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

turned to Chicago to select the persons to repre- 
sent me in Gloster. 

My prehminary survey of the field had brought 
me into contact with many of the most fashion- 
able people in Gloster; and, as I foresaw that my 
operatives would be called upon to move in the 
best society while engaged in this investigation, I 
obtained as extended information about the mem- 
bers of the creme de la creme as possible. Since 
many of them will figure conspicuously in the 
incidents of this story, a brief description of the 
leaders will be necessary. 

One of the wealthiest men of Gloster was a 
bachelor, named Henry 0. Mather. He was 
about fifty years old, but he still retained much 
of the fire of youth, and he was one of the most 
popular members of society. At an early day in 
the history of the Great West he had settled at 
Gloster, where he had invested largely in unim- 
proved lands; and, by forethought and good 
judgment in his speculations, he had rapidly in- 
creased his property in extent and value, until, 
at this time, he was one of the few millionaires 
west of the Alleghanies. About three years pre- 
vious to the time of which I write, he had in- 
vested largely in the new railroad schemes then 
organized, and his importance as a railway mag- 
nate was recognized throughout the whole coun- 
try. His reputation as a shrewd business man 
made him a species of authority among his fel- 
low-townspeople, and few persons would have 
ventured to distrust the safety of any enterprise 



1 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. Ibo 

in which he was actively interested. Indeed, so 
complete was the confidence of most men in him, 
that it was not considered necessary in buying 
real estate to trace the title further back than to 
Henry 0. Mather, a deed from him being consid- 
ered as secure as a patent from the government. 
Personally he was a very agreeable man, being 
gallant without affectation, and brilliant without 
priggishness. His figure was of medium height, 
compact' y built, and he carried himself with an 
erect bearing and springy gait, which greatly 
aided in deceiving strangers as to his age. His 
hair was brown, turning gradually to gray, and 
he wore full gray side- whiskers. His features 
were quite pleasing except the mouth, which was 
rather large and sensual. On the whole, he was 
a man with uncommon ability to please when he 
felt disposed to exert himself, and his great 
wealth was an additional charm which society 
was not slow to recognize. He owned a large 
house, occupying the whole of a square in the 
most fashionable part of the city, and his sister- 
in-law was installed as its mistress. 

Kichard Perkins was an Englishman who had 
long lived in Gloster, where he owned the largest 
brewery in the West. He was of middle height, 
but being quite fleshy, his gait was a kind of 
waddle — the reverse of elegant or dignified. His 
smooth, round, jovial face was strongly expres- 
sive of an appreciation of the good things of this 
world, and he rarely denied himself any indul- 
gence that passion craved and that money could 
procure. 



xH A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

It was while Mather and Perkins were on their 
annual visit to New York that they met Seiior 
Morito and his beautiful wife, Donna Lucia. 
The distinguished foreigners soon made a com- 
plete conquest of both the western gentlemen, 
who invited them in the most cordial manner to 
visit Gloster at their earliest convenience. 

The delights of New York society were enjoyed 
for several months by these wealthy and aristo- 
cratic foreigners before they were able to keep 
the promise made to Mather and Perkins ; for 
they were entertained by the old Knickerbocker 
families of Manhattan in a princely style. They 
were the guests of the most exclusive circles of 
the city, and everywhere they displayed such 
perfect courtesy, good breeding, and savoir faire, 
that it was evident they were accustomed to 
wealth and high social position. They had ele- 
gant apartments in the leading hotel of the city, 
and their cash expenditures showed the posses- 
sion of an unlimited fortune. They finally tore 
themselves away from New York, arriving in 
Gloster during the comparatively dull season of 
Lent. Here their fame had become known in 
society through the incessant praises of Mather 
and Perkins, and their reception into the highest 
circles was coincident with their arrival. The 
unanimous verdict of those who made their ac- 
quaintance was, that Gloster had never enter- 
tained two more thoroughly pleasing guests than 
the Don and Donna Morito. 

Don Pedro was aboui forty years of age, but 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 135 

he had all the brilliancy and ease of a man of 
thirty. His fi'gnre was very fine, being slightly 
above the medium height, erect, compact, and 
muscular, nis hands and feet were small and 
elegantly shaped, but were not effeminate. His 
rich oliye complexion was in admirable harmony 
with his soft black eyes and deep red lips. His 
face was a good oval, without being unmanly, 
and his black, glossy hair was beautifully curly 
and wavy. He wore side-whiskers and a long 
moustache, beneath which his smile, the ladies 
said, was faultless. Like most South Americans, 
he seemed too lazy to be unamiable, and his gen- 
eral style was that of a man who, having pos- 
sessed wealth always, would be perfectly lost 
without it. 

Donna Lucia was a fine specimen of Spanish 
beauty, education, and refinement. It was easy 
to see that she possessed more force of character 
than her husband, and that her passionate nature 
was like a volcano, which might burst forth at 
any time, driving her to the most dangerous 
courses if it took possession of her. A detailed 
description of such a woman is an impossibility. 
In general, she was a beauty of the Andalusian 
type, as nearly perfect in form and feature as can 
be conceived; but her expression was of an infi- 
nite variety of characters, each one giving the 
precise shade of meaning most applicable to the 
time, place, person, and sentiment. In short, she 
was so m^ar perfection that nearly all the men she 
met were in love with her, and nine-tenths of 



136 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

them more than half believed that she regretted 
her marriage for their sake. Nevertheless, she 
kept all admirers at a certain distance, which 
only bewitched them the more. # 

At the time of which I write, Don Pedro was 
so much pleased with Gloster, that he had rented 
a large residence in a very fashionable locality, 
and was making preparations to spend a year 
there. The charming manner in which they had 
entertained their friends at the hotel was ample 
guarantee that when the Don and Donna were 
established in their new home, they would sur- 
pass anything in the way of festivities ever seen 
in Gloster; hence, all the best society of the place 
rejoiced greatly at the arrival of this new con- 
stellation in the social firmament. 

Among the bachelors most noted in salons and 
parlors of the city were Daniel McCarthy and 
Charles Sylvanus, the former a lawyer, and the 
latter a journalist. McCarthy was an Irishman, 
of bi'illiant talents and ready wit. Although still 
comparatively a young man, he was the county 
prosecuting attorney, and was considered one of 
the foremost lawyers of the city. He was very 
good-looking and good-hearted, and his natural 
drollery made him a most entertaining companion. 
While speaking in court, and often in society, he 
had a habit of running his fingers through his 
long, thick hair, which he would also, at times, 
throw back with a peculiar jerk of his head. 
This habit was especially frequent when he bo- 
came deeply interested in his subject, and the 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 137 

spectators could always tell whether Dan was 
doing his best, even when they could not hear his 
words. 

Sylvanus was editor and part proprietor of an 
evening newspaper. As a journalist he was not 
above mediocrity, but he was well received in 
society, where even a moderate allowance of 
brains will suffice for success. 

A conspicuous member of society and a pillar 
of the Swedenborgian church was Mr. John Pres- 
ton, a banker and capitalist. With a book of 
Swedenborgian revelations in one hand and a 
bundle of tax titles in the other, he would fre- 
quently orate to a crowd of unbelievers, from a 
text drawn from his book, in a manner calculated 
to quite convert them, were it not that they knew 
he was only working up a fresh head of steam to 
enable him to grind the faces of the poor upon 
whose property he held tax titles. In fact, many 
people were of the opinion that this man was a 
dangerous character, in spite of his pretense of 
piety, his ostentatious charity, and his assump- 
tion of the role of a professional philanthropist. 
They insinuated that a man could afford to give 
largely to an astronomical society, a college, an 
academy of sciences^ and other objects of educa- 
tion, when he had appropriated many thousands 
of dollars belonging to the school fund to his own 
use; that he could easily contribute freely to his 
church, when he used the church property in his 
own interests and managed the society to suit 
himself ; and that there was no great amount of 



138 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

philanthropy in giving a few hundred dollars to 
miscellaneous charities, when he made ten times 
the amount in shaving notes at usurious interest 
and acquiring land by means only one remove 
from actual theft; these things were becoming so 
notorious that a man of less indomitable brass 
than John Preston would have long since been 
sent to Coventry, if not to jail; but he revolved 
on his own center, subhmely indifferent to the 
attacks of his enemies, for whom, by the way, he 
used to pray with most fervent unction. His 
wife was a pleasant, motherly woman, who gave 
liberally to charitable objects, and who regarded 
her husband as one of the saints of the earth. 

There were three children — a young man and 
two girls. The former gave no promise of either 
ability, probity, or ambition, and there was about 
him a noticeable air of deficiency in both mental 
and moral worth. The girls were commonplace 
nonentities, with no pretensions to beauty or 
grace. 

One of the most prominent citizens of Gloster 
was a wealthy tanner, named Charles H. Sanders. 
Having foreseen at an early day the great pro- 
gress which the city would make in population 
and importance, he had invested largely in tracts 
of unimproved land, which he held against all 
offers to purchase until his real estate was more 
extended and valuable than that of any other 
property-owner in the city. Personally he was 
very thin and angular, with such a sickly look 
that his death seemed possible any day, though 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 139 

his constitution was of that character which 
might hold out much longer than that of a more 
robust type. His wife was a very charming 
woman, and they had two young daughters, who 
gave promise of consideral3le beauty when they 
should arrive at maturity. 

Mr. Thomas Burke and his wife were, perhaps, 
the most general favorites in Gloster society. 
Mr. Burke was tall and well built, and his large 
head and commanding appearance made him con- 
spicuous in any group. He had a broad, high 
forehead, heavy eyebrows, deep-set black eyes, a 
Eoman nose, and a heavy black moustache, which 
completely covered his mouth . His straight, black 
hair, high cheek-bones, and swarthy complexion, 
gave him slightly the look of having Indian blood 
in his veins; but the rest of his features were un- 
mistakably Celtic, and the moment he spoke, the 
Irishman stood confessed. He was a man of such 
extensive reading and general information that 
few persons excelled him in conversation. His 
wife was also cultivated and intelligent, so that 
either as guest or hostess she was equally agree- 
able and popular. They had a large family of 
bright and interesting children. 

One of the social curiosities of the city was 
known as Deacon Humphrey. He was a striking 
instance of the importance which self-complacent 
mediocrity can obtain in a newly-settled com- 
munity, in spite of ponderous stupidity. His 
large head gave him his only excuse for profess- 
ing to have brains, and his air of preoccupation 



140 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

made him in appearance the personification 
of wisdom; indeed, a witty journahst, who had 
sounded the depths of Humphrey's ignorance, 
once said that ^'no man could be as wise as 
Humphrey looked.^'' No better condensation of 
this character in a few words could be made. He 
was part proprietor of a morning newspaper, and 
at times, to the dismay of the other stockholders, 
he aspired to the editorial tripod. The mighty 
lucubrations of his intellect were generally as- 
signed to the waste-basket, and in the city it was 
well known that his influence in the columns of 
the paper was absolutely nothing, though in the 
country he was still regarded with awe by the 
bucolic mind. He was generally known as 
*' Deacon " from his honorary occupancy of that 
office in a Presbyterian church. Mrs. Humphrey 
was seldom seen, being in poor health almost con- 
stantly, but their only daughter, Jennie, was one 
of the foremost of the fashionable of the dilet- 
tanti of the city. Indeed, it was confidently an- 
ticipated that, some day. Miss Jennie would burst 
forth as a full-blown authoress, and overpower an 
expectant public with the radiance of her intel- 
lect and the elegance of her style. 

No description of Gloster celebrities would be 
complete without that of Ethan Allen Benson, 
Esq., formerly Member of Congress, and late 
Minister Plenipotentiary at an important Euro- 
pean court. The suggestion having once been 
made to him by some waggish diplomat that he 
resembled the first Napoleon, he was ever after- 



A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 141 

•ward desirous of drawing attention to this fan- 
cied resemblance. He was a vain, fussy, conse- 
quential politician, whose principal strength w-as 
in the ward caucus and the saloon. 

Judge Peter B. Taylor was another old settler, 
and he was frequently seen in social circles in 
spite of his age. His forehead was very broad 
indeed, but his face tapered so rapidly to a 
pointed chin as to make his head wedge-shaped. 
He had coarse, faded hair, but no whiskers nor 
beard, and only a scrubby, gray moustache. He 
had a singular habit of working his eyes inde- 
pendently of each other, and the effect upon a 
stranger who was not aware of this pecuharity 
was sometimes startling. His mouth was quite 
large, one side appearing larger than the other, 
and his lower lip slightly protruded, giving him a 
very harsh and forbidding appearance. He had 
at one time occupied a seat on the judicial bench, 
but few persons could understand on what 
grounds he deserved the office, unless it were 
that people believed the adage about a poor law- 
yer making a good judge. He was quite w^ealthy, 
and his business was that of a money leaner and 
real estate speculator. He was considered to be 
very pious and charitable— on Sunday; during 
the rest of the week no Shylock ever demanded 
his pound of flesh more relentlessly than he his 
three per cent, a month. 

It was among a society of which the foregoing 
were shining lights, that I was to operate at the 
request of Senator Muirhead. On returning to 



142 A FRAUDULENT SCHEME. 

Chicago from Gloster, I gave a great deal of 
thought to the case, for there was so httle to act 
upon that none of the ordinary plans could be 
depended upon. During his stay in this country, 
Don Pedro had apparently acted in a perfectly 
honorable manner toward every one, and it 
would be impossible to proceed against him le- 
gally in the United States for crimes committed 
elsewhere, until the aggrieved parties should take 
the necessary steps for his extradition ; with sev- 
eral of the countries in which he was supposed to 
have committed his crimes we had no extradition 
treaty, and nothing could be done here to arrest 
or punish him ; hence, the task of exposing his 
previous career might be fruitless, even though 
the Senator's suspicions should be confirmed in 
every particular. Nothing whatever could be 
adduced against his character since his arrival in 
the United States, and I was, therefore, confined 
to the prevention of future frauds rather than 
the detection of old ones. The primary object of 
my efforts was thus made to be the discovery of 
the Don's intentions, as, without some slight 
forecast of his plans, I might be unable to cir- 
cumvent them. Accordingly, I decided that I 
must furnish him with a friend who would be 
sufiiciently intimate with him to become his 
trusted companion and adviser. At the same 
time, it would be essential to learn as much as 
possible relative to the previous career of both 
the Don and Donna, for it might be desirable to 
use a little moral suasion with them by showing 



MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 143 

that their history was known. This plan would 
involve no injustice to them, for, if innocent of 
wrong-doing, they would never know that they 
had been under surveillance ; while, if guilty, 
they deserved no consideration. 



CHAPTER II. 

Madame Sevier, Wido^o, of Chicago, and 3fonsieur 
Lesparre, of JBordeaux, also arrive at Gloster. — 
Mr. Pinkerton, as a Laborer, anonous for a Job, 
inspects the Morito Mansion. — A Tender Scene, 
resulting in Profit to the fascinating Senora. — 
Madame Sevier is installed as a Guest at Don 
Pedro's. 

MY first action in this affair was to detail a 
man to '^shadow" Don Pedro and the 
Donna until the detectives chosen for the more 
difficult portions of the work should be in a posi- 
tion to take notice of all their movements. As 
three detectives would require some little prepa- 
ration to gain the position I desired them to fill, I 
hastened to select them and give them their 
instructions. For this mission I detailed a 
married couple, who had been several years in 
my employ. Mr. and Mrs. Rosel were natives of 
France, and as they had been constantly in my 
service almost from the time of their arrival in 
this country, I felt sure they would not be recog- 
nized as detectives by any one in the city of 



144: MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

Gloster. They were people of more than average 
intelhgence and education, with a natural refine- 
ment which would be especially desirable in the 
prosecution of this case. In a few days all their 
preparations were completed, and they went to 
Gloster by different routes. 

Mrs. Rosel was not handsome, but she had a 
good figure, and she was very attractive, on ac- 
count of her dashing, spirited ways, and because 
she could assume a deep interest in every one 
whom she met. She spoke English with so slight 
an accent that it was only noticed as an added 
charm to her winning conversation. I instructed 
her to represent herself in Gloster as Madame 
Sevier, the widow of a lace merchant, lately of 
Chicago, where he had carried on a moderate 
business. His death had thrown his affairs into 
some confusion, but the estate would be settled 
up soon, leaving a comfortable fortune to his 
widow. Madame Sevier did not like the chmate 
of Chicago, and therefore she had decided to 
remain in Gloster until her business affairs were 
settled, when she would probably return to her 
relatives in France. I intended that she should 
mix in society as much as would be consistent 
with her character as a widow, and that she 
should endeavor to become intimate with Donna 
Lucia. 

Mr. Eosel was to make a slight detour, arriving 
in Gloster from the east. He would be known 
as Monsieur Girard Lesparre, and his ostensible 
character was to be that of a man of moderate 



MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 145 

capital from Bordeaux, looking for a favorable 
opportunity to invest some of his means in a 
profitable business. 

I followed the Rosels in a day or two, and found 
that Monsieur Lesparre was pleasantly located 
at a fashionable family hotel, while Madame 
Sevier had taken apartments in a stylish board- 
ing-house only a few doors from the handsome 
residence which the Moritos were to occupy. 
This was quite satisfactory, and I turned my 
attention to the examination of the reports made 
by my ' ^ shadow. " The reports were very monot- 
onous in character, except as evidences of the 
popularity of the Don and Donna. The dull days 
of Lent had just passed, and the close of the 
season was now more crowded with parties and 
balls than the earlier portion had been. The 
presence of two such distinguished guests as Don 
Pedro and Donna Lucia contributed largely to the 
reasons for this rush of gayety, and they were 
overwhelmed with visitors and invitations. Mr. 
Mather had set the example by giving a large 
dinner-party in their honor, followed in the even- 
ing by a grand ball; and they had so charmed 
the other leaders of society that no entertainment 
was considered complete without the presence 
of Don Pedro P. L. de Morito and his beautiful 
wife. 

On leaving my hotel to visit the house which 

Don Pedro was fitting up for his residence, I met 

Charlie Morton, the United States Commissioner 

of Gloster. Morton was a capable lawyer and a 

7 



146 MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

shrewd politician. He was equally attentive to 
ladies as to gentlemen, and it was well known 
that Charlie would never slight any one who 
could cast or influence a vote. His acquaintance 
extended through all classes, from the lowest to 
the highest, and few men were more generally 
popular. His powers of observation were only 
equaled by his tact, so that, while he saw all 
that went on about him, he never talked indis- 
creetly. He and I were quite intimate, and we 
chatted for some time about various people before 
I succeeded in bringing up the names of those in 
Gloster in whom I was just then most interested. 

'' I suppose you are quite glad that the gay sea- 
son is over, Charlie," I said, interrogatively. ^'As 
usual, you will not have many social events of 
any consequence after Lent, I presume? " 

'^Oh! yes, indeed," he replied; ^'we shall be 
more active in society for the next month or two 
than ever before. You see, we have two wealthy 
and aristocratic Peruvians visiting Gloster, and 
they are so fascinating that they have quite taken 
our people by storm. They have been accus 
tomed to the finest society of Europe and South 
America, so that we are put upon our mettle to 
show how well Gloster can compare in wealth, 
luxury, and refinement with older cities at home 
and abroad." 

^^ Are they then such remarkable lions ? " I 
asked, '^or do people run after them simply be- 
cause they are rich foreigners ? " 

■ ' Of course their wealth and foreign birth 



MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 147 

would cause many people to pay them attention," 
said Morton ; ^' but their popularity is something 
exceptional, and is undoubtedly due to their per- 
fect knowledge of all the courtesies and customs 
of modern society, to their charming manners, 
and largely to their personal good looks. Seilor 
Morito has fascinated all the ladies, while nearly 
every man in society is in love with the Senora." 

^' Well, take care of yourself, my boy," I said, 
jokingly. "If the lovely Donna causes Charlie 
Morton to strike his colors, she must be danger- 
ous indeed." 

After leaving Morton, I sauntered along to the 
house which Don Pedro had rented, and which 
was now nearly ready for occupancy. It was a 
large residence, with ample grounds fronting on 
the principal avenue, and its imposing front of 
heavy columns gave it a striking appearance as 
compared with the more commonplace stone 
fronts around it. While I was glancing curiously 
about, a truck arrived laden with costly furniture. 
I was rather roughly dressed, and the driver 
asked me if I wanted a job of work. I accepted 
his offer to aid in carrying the furniture into the 
house, as I was anxious to examine the interior. 
After finishing the job, the furniture salesman 
took me over the house to show off the elegance 
with which it was decorated and furnished. It 
was certainly a model of good taste, while the 
paintings, statuary, frescoing, and articles of 
bijouterie were evidences of enormous expendi- 
tures. Having obtained a thorough knowledge 



148 MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

of the plan of the house, I withdrew, receiving 
fifty cents for my labor. 

The time when Don Pedro was to occupy his 
residence was to be signalized by a grand recep- 
tion held therein, and the invitations were already 
out. Meantime entertainments were given by 
John Preston, Alexander Mclntyre, and Charles 
H. Sanders. The latter's reception was especially 
brilliant, and those who knew Mr. Sanders's par- 
simonious character wore much surprised at his 
profuse expenditure for the occasion. I soon 
afterwards obtained an explanation of this un- 
usual liberality, by hearing another banker casu- 
ally remark that Don Pedro had withdrawn a 
part of his funds from New York, and had de 
posited them in Mr. Sanders's bank. This gave 
me a hint, and I immediately acted upon it. Be- 
ing well acquainted with a number of bankers, I 
visited several of them, and talked about various 
business men of Gloster, as if I were desirous of 
getting information about their commercial stand- 
ing and credit. In each case I succeeded in learn- 
ing the extent to which Don Pedro had deposited 
money in bank. The total amount then due him 
by the three houses with whom he had made de- 
posits was about $17,000, although his original 
deposits had amounted to more than double that 
sum. Heavy drafts to pay his current expenses 
and to furnish his house had largely reduced his 
available cash, though he still had an ample sum 
on hand. Knowing how enormous his expenses 
were, I felt sure that he would reach the end of 



MK. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 149 

his bank account in a short time, unless he should 
have other funds, of whose existence I was un- 
aware. If this sum of seventeen thousand dol- 
lars represented his total capital, however, he 
would soon show whether he was what he 
claimed to be, or an adventurer; for, in the 
former case, he would draw money from his 
Peruvian estates, and, in the latter, he would ac- 
complish some great swindle. I was, therefore, 
anxious to put my detectives at work as quickly 
as possible to enable me to learn something defi- 
nite of his intentions. 

Madame Sevier was making quite rapid progress 
in her new quarters. Mrs. Courtney, the lady 
who kept the house, was a widow of some means, 
who took boarders to enable her to educate her 
children in the best manner. She was highly re- 
garded by every one, and her visiting-list included 
all the most fashionable people in the city. She 
soon became greatly interested in Madame Sevier, 
and through her assistance the Madame made 
the acquaintance of a number of the families 
living in the neighborhood. As the rage for for- 
eigners was at its height just then, Madame Sevier 
soon became highly popular, and she was invited 
to several entertainments, where she met Don 
Pedro and Donna Lucia. The latter, finding that 
Madame Sevier was to be her near neighbor in 
her new residence, became very intimate with 
her, especially as Donna Lucia was desirous of 
reviving her knowledge and practice of the French 
language. Consequently, when Don Pedro's ar- 



150 MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

rangements were all completed and the new 
house occupied, Madame Sevier used to drop in 
for a few minutes' chat every day. As she was 
a very capable manager, she was frequently able 
to give Donna Lucia valuable hints about her 
household affairs, especially with reference to the 
approaching reception. 

Ever since the arrival of the Moritos, Mr. Heniy 
0. Mather had been a constant attendant upon 
the Donna. His attentions had not been so pub- 
licly marked as to have created scandal; but he 
had been so assiduous in paying his regards, that 
he was much more intimate than Mrs. Grundy 
would have thought strictly proper. He was in 
the habit of calling very frequently, and he often 
took the Don and Donna out for a drive. Some- 
times the party would consist wholly of ladies, 
and occasionally the Donna accompanied him 
alone. In short, he became a sort of intimate 
friend of the family, welcome at all times, with- 
out the necessity of invitation or ceremony. 

One day, Madame Sevier went in to see Donna 
Lucia in the afternoon, and was told by the ser- 
vant that she would find the Donna in the hbrary. 
Without permitting the servant to announce her, 
she passed on toward the room mentioned ; but, 
as she approached the door, hearing voices with- 
in, she paused a moment to see who was with 
Donna Lucia. The room was in a very retired 
part of the house, and she was able to take a po- 
sition close to the partly open door without the 
probabiUty of being noticed by any one. She 



MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 151 

was thus enabled to overhear a highly interesting 
( onversation between the Donna and Henry 0. 
Mather, who had evidently arrived only a mo- 
ment or two before her. 

''You are not in good spirits to-day, Donna 
1 Lucia ? " questioned Mather, sympathetically. 
''No, Mr. Mather; I have my troubles at 
times, like other people, but I try not to let 
others see them." 

" Then you do not care for sympathy, Senora," 
said Mather, with a tender sigh ; " I see that you 
have been in tears, and it grieves me to think 
that I cannot save you from the painful things 
which cause you to cry. " 

" Oh ! Mr. Mather, I do appreciate your kind- 
ness, I assure you," said the Donna, also sighing 
deeply ; " I am almost tempted to ask your ad- 
vice, for I feel that you are truly my friend ; but 
I am afraid you will think I have been naughty 
in having exposed myself to such annoyances." 

"No, indeed, my dear Donna," replied the mil- 
honaire", quite enraptured at this evident token 
of her confidence in him; " I know that you are 
too lovely to be anything but an angel, and I 
shall be only too happy to give you advice upon 
any subject that you confide to me." 

As the conversation was becoming highly in- 
teresting, the tones of the parties being of a 
really lover-hke tenderness, Madame Sevier took 
a hasty glimpse through the door, and saw that 
she could watch as well as hsten, unperceived. 
Mather was standing beside the Donna, bending 



152 MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

over her and looking into her face, while she had 
her head half turned away, as if in coy inde- 
cision. 

'' Well, Mr. Mather " 

^' Why do you address me always so formally? 
Can you not call me Henry?" asked Mather, 
boldly. 

" How would it sound if any one should hear 
me ? " said the Donna, casting down her eyes and 
playing with her watch-chain. 

' ' But when we are alone no one can hear 
you," replied Mather. "Won't you call me 
Henry when we have an occasional tete-d- 
Utef' 

''Well, then you must be very discreet, Hen- 
ry," answered she, looking up, blushing and hes- 
itating as she spoke. 

"I will be discretion itself," said the now 
wholly infatuated Mather, with a look of 
triumph; and to show that he accepted the con- 
ditions of the agreement, he sealed it by raising 
her hand to his lips. 

"Oh! fie! fie!" she exclaimed; "is it thus that 
you show your discretion? I shall be obliged 
to retract my promise if you become so rash. 
Now, sit down beside me, and be more polite in 
future." 

" I will not be so hasty again, my dear Donna ; 
but my pleasure was so great that I was some- 
what beside myself. Now tell me what it was 
that caused your troubles." 

"Well, Mr. Math " 



MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 153 



(( 



No, no ; not ' Mr. Mather ; ' recollect your 
pi'omise," interrupted Mather, as he saw she hes- 
itated to call him by his first name. 

''Well, then, Henry, I have been very thought- 
less and extravagant, and I do not know what to 
do. You see, I have always spent money for 
everything I needed without regard to cost ; for 
my own fortune was ample for everything, and 
Pedro would give me any amount that I might 
desire. But last month a draft for six thousand 
pounds, which was sent me by my trustees, was 
lost on the way, and so I have used up all my 
own funds. Having run up several large bills in 
New York, I asked Pedro to p^y them, and he 
did so; but he said that, having ordered his fac- 
tors to send him no more money until his arrival 
in Callao, he should be somewhat embarrassed 
until he heard from them again. His sudden 
determination to fit up and occupy a residence 
here has exhausted all his available funds except 
a few thousand dollars for current expenses, and 
he requested me not to make any large purchases 
until one of us should receive a remittance from 
our estates. Well, you see, I expected surely to 
have received a large sum before now, and so I 
made purchases without regard to consequences; 
the result is, that I am deeply in debt, my money 
has not arrived, and I am afraid to tell Pedro, 
because he will not forgive me for running in 
debt and disobeying him. Unfortunately, I have 
done both these things, and I am momentarily in 
fear that some of the bills will be sent to him 
7* 



154: MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

Now, my dear Henry, you see that I have good 
cause to look sad and cry." 

As she finished, the Donna began to whimper 
and put her handkerchief to her eyes in so touch- 
ing a manner that Mather was quite overpow- 
ered. The artistic expression with which she 
hastily called him her '^dear Henry" was the 
finishing touch to an already powerful attack, 
and he surrendered completely. 

*'My dear Donna," he exclaimed, seizing her 
hand in both of his, ''how glad I am that you 
confided in me. I will see that you are not 
troubled by another anxious thought in this mat- 
ter. Tell me how much you need to settle all 
your indebtedness." 

'' Indeed, Henry, I cannot let you do anything 
of the kind^" she protested, feebly. " Why, it is a 
very large sum in all, and it may be several 
months before I can repay you." 

"Now don't talk about payment, but just tell 
me how much you need," replied Mather. 

' ' The large bills amount to over four thousand 
dollars, and there are a number of small ones 
which I have not figured up," she said, thought- 
fully. 

' ' Well, then, I will bring you around five 
thousand dollars to-morrow, and you can pay 
the bills without any one knowing where the 
money comes from," said Mather, again kissing 
her hand. 

''Oh! you dear, good fellow!" exclaimed the 
Donna; and, overcome by his generous response 



MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER, 155 

to her request, she threw her arms about his neck 
and kissed him several times. 

^' There, there," she continued, releasing her- 
self and coquettishly tapping his lips with her 
hand, '^I don't know how I came to do such a 
thing, but you were so kind that I couldn't help 
it." 

''If that is the case," said the overjoyed 
Mather, " I will add five thousand more to have 
a similar expression of your gratitude." 

" Will you, really? I believe I am half in love 
with you," she murmured, as she allowed him to 
embrace her a second time, and press burning 
kisses on her hps. 

The ringing of the door-bell interrupted their 
happiness, and Madame Sevier hastily retired to 
the drawing-room, into which other visitors were 
shown by the servant. Donna Lucia soon en- 
tered, perfectly self-possessed, and greeted all her 
friends with her usual ease and cordiality. Mr. 
Mather probably passed out by the hbrary en- 
trance, for he did not appear in the parlor. The 
ladies conversed together for some time, one of 
the important subjects of their talk being the 
troubles of household management. Donna Lucia 
complained bitterly that her servants robbed her, 
and that they were careless, dirty, and impudent. 
She knew very little about housekeeping, and 
every domestic in her employ took advantage of 
her. She added that, as soon as her housewarm- 
ing was over, she intended to get, if possible, a 
lady who would be a member of the family, and 



156 MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

who would relieve her of the management of the 
house. 

^'Now," said she, in her most winning man- 
ner, "here is Madame Sevier, who has nothing 
to occupy her time, who is a natural manager of 
other people, and who is so agreeable that she 
would be a positive charm to any household ; and 
I have been thinking, positively, of asking her to 
take charge of my whole establishment, and help 
me entertain my guests. What should you think, 
Madame Sevier, of such a request ? " 

The opportunity of becoming domesticated in 
the Morito mansion was thus afforded to one of 
my detectives, but she knew better than to 
accept at once. She therefore professed to treat 
it as a pleasantry, and said that she had no doubt 
that she should succeed as a housekeeper, but 
whether she could add anything of attraction to 
such a charming home was greatly to be doubted. 
The other ladies, however, thought the idea an 
admirable one, and they all urged Madame Sevier 
to adopt it. Having once broached the subject, 
Donna Lucia again spoke of it with the greatest 
interest, showing, by her arguments and deter- 
mination to coax Madame Sevier to decide favor- 
ably, that she had thought about such a plan be- 
fore, and that she was really in earnest in her re- 
quest. Finally, Madame Sevier said that she saw 
no objection to accepting the offer, as she really 
enjoyed taking care of a large establishment, but 
she was not prepared to accept it at once, and 
she would wait a few days to reflect upon it. It 



MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 157 

was then agreed that she should give her decision, 
at the grand reception to be given as a house- 
warming. 

This part of my plan had worked admirably, 
and I felt confident of my eventual success in 
learning all about the affairs of the Morito 
family. The method by which Donna Lucia had 
obtained ten thousand dollars from Mr. Mather 
was a decided confirmation of Senator Muirhead's 
suspicions; though there Avas nothing in the 
transaction which could make her liable to pun- 
ishment by law, and as there was no danger that 
her victim would ever appear against her, I paid 
no further attention to this episode. 

I ordered Madame Sevier to accept Donna 
Lucia's offer on the following terms: she should 
have full authority over all the female servants in 
the house; she should have charge of the ordering 
of all articles for household use; she should be 
considered in the same light as a guest, so far as 
social intercourse went; she should go and come 
as she chose, without regard to the duties of the 
menage ; and she should receive no salary. This 
last point she was to insist upon, as necessary 
to preserve her feeling of independence, and 
enable her to occupy her time as she might see 
fit. 

As the day approached for the Moritos' recep- 
tion, all Gloster's best society were filled with 
pleasurable excitement and anticipation, as the 
preparations were known to be far more magnifi- 
cent than those for any similar entertainment 



168 MR. PINKERTON AS A LABORER. 

since Gloster was settled. As Monsieur Lesparre 
had already made Don Pedro's acquaintance, 
and had received an invitation, I felt sure that 
I should be thoroughly informed as to all the 
occurrences of the evening, and so I awaited de- 
velopments. 

The employment of detectives to penetrate into 
the social life and domestic surroundings of any 
family is strongly repugnant to my sense of pro- 
priety, and I rarely countenance the practice, if I 
can possibly attain my object in any other way. 
I dislike to feel that I am trespassing upon the 
privacy of any man's home, even though that 
man may be a criminal. The idea of introducing 
a spy into a household is opposed to the spirit of 
our free American institutions, violating, as it 
does, the unwritten law that ' ^ a man's house is 
his castle ; " hence, I never resort to such a measure, 
except in extreme cases. I saw, however, that 
there was no other means of protecting the inter- 
ests of my client. Senator Muirhead ; he was 
acting disinterestedly in the case, to save his con- 
stituents from being defrauded, and I could only 
prevent the threatened swindle by learning in 
advance the exact plan of operation proposed by 
the suspected person. 

I was careful, however, to employ my most 
discreet and cautious agents, in order that I should 
quickly learn whether the Senator's suspicions 
were based on fact ; in case I should find that the 
suspected parties were innocent, I was determined 
to withdraw instantly. They would not then 



AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 159 

suffer any injustice, for my employes would keep 
their discoveries secret from every one except my- 
self, and no one would ever know that they had 
been the objects of suspicion. 



CHAPTER III. 

3fonsieur Lesparre, having a retentive memory, becomes 
serviceable to Don Pedro. — Diamond Fields and 
droll Americans. — A pompous Judge in an unfor- 
tunate Predicament. — The grand Peception closes 
with the hajypy Arrangement that the gay Scnor 
and Seriora shall dine loith Mr. Pinherton^s Detec- 
tives on the next evening. 

THE day of the reception was unusually pleas- 
ant, and at nightfall the full moon rose to 
add her splendor to the attractiveness of the 
evening. The Morito mansion was ablaze with 
wax candles, gaslight being considered too com- 
mon for use on such an occasion. From the street 
to the door was a passageway of double canvas, 
vA\h an opening at the sidewalk to prevent inter- 
ference with passers. This opening w^as brilliantly 
lighted, and was hung with flags, pennants, and 
flowers, artistically arranged so as to give the 
guests a charming prospect when alighting from 
their carriages. The rooms of the house needed 
no decoration beyond that already given by the 
frescoes and paintings adorning the walls and 
ceilings. Nevertheless, flowers were abundantly 



160 AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 

distributed about the spacious apartments. The 
beautiful conservatory contained a superb foun- 
tain, whose jets and sprays gave forth exquisite 
odor and ripphng music. Everywhere through- 
out the house the most artistic grouping of 
furniture, pictures, and statuary could be seen, 
and the variety of taste displayed was only 
equaled by the unity of arrangements as a 
whole. At ten o'clock the guests began to arrive, 
and as the throng of carriages became thicker, 
it seemed as if the house would be over-crowded. 
This did not happen to any noticeable degree, 
however, as the whole of two floors were thrown 
open to accommodate the guests. The music 
was furnished by the best musicians of the city, 
and the supper was a miracle of epicurean excel- 
lence, Delmonico having sent one of his chief 
assistants from New York to superintend its 
preparation. Never had Gloster seen an affair 
where such elegance and good taste had been 
displayed; even the smallest details were perfect, 
and the Don and Donna received innumerable 
congratulations and good wishes from their 
guests. 

During his brief stay in Gloster, Monsieur Le- 
sparre had been very active in forming acquaint- 
ances, and he was already well known in society. 
He had a very retentive memory, and, when once 
introduced to any gentleman, he immediately 
t ok pains to learn everything possible about him. 
By careful observation and perseverance, he had 
learned the general history of a very large num- 



AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 161 

ber of the leading people in society, and his droll 
comments and half-sarcastic criticism of them, 
expressed sotto voce to the Don on various occa- 
sions, had caught the latter's attention. The 
Don therefore frequently singled out Lesparre for 
a companion in society, in order to obtain infor- 
mation about the social and business standing of 
various people. 

''You see, my dear Lesparre," said the Don, 
" I am such a poor judge of character that I am 
liable to be imposed upon unless I know some- 
thing about the previous history of people who 
seek my friendship. And, as I have a miserable 
memory for faces, names, places, and everything 
else, it is a great pleasure to find some one who 
can keep me posted as to the status of the people 
I meet. You must let me see as much of you as 
possible, for, being both foreigners, we ought to 
have a common bond of sympathy." 

''It will give me great pleasure," replied Le- 
sparre. " Of coarse our friends here are very at- 
tentive; but then, you know, they lack the polish 
one meets in European salons^ and they are too 
apt to obtrude their business into their social 
relations." 

" Exactly; I agree with you perfectly, and it is 
for that reason that I enjoy a conversation with 
a gentleman of Continental education and tastes. 
It is wonderful how keen these Americans are in 
their pursuit of the 'Almighty Dollar.' Why, 
only a week or two ago, I happened to mention 
to Mr. Mather and a few others, that some of my 



162 AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 

estates in the Peruvian Andes contained extensive 
diamond fields, when they began to upbraid me 
for not working them and adding to my already 
ample revenue. They seemed positively shocked 
when I told them, that I saw no reason for in- 
creasing my income, as I had as much money as 
I could use now. They insisted that I was doing 
a positive wrong to my fellow mortals in refusing 
to burden myself with a new enterprise, and I 
assure you they were quite in earnest in their re- 
monstrances. All! how droll they are, Monsieur 
Lesparre! " 

''Yes, indeed, I have found the same spirit 
even with reference to my humble means," re- 
plied Lesparre. ''They want me to invest in 
something right away, and I have very many 
disinterested offers of advice; but they cannot 
understand my delay, and they think I am throw- 
ing away so many good chances by waiting. 
Now, I should be content to settle down for a 
year, before investing, just to examine at length 
all the openings offered me; but I doubt whether 
I could afford to do that, unless I could obtain a 
satisfactory salaried position, and I feel that that 
is impossible. There are very few such positions 
as I would be willing to accept, as I do not care 
to be tied down to regular duties." 

The gentlemen had stepped into the supper- 
room while this conversation was going on, and 
were about to take a glass of wine together. 
Lesparre's last remark seemed to give a sudden 
idea to Don Pedro, and he sipped his wine in 



AN UNFORTLTNATE PREDICAMENT. 163 

silence for a moment or two. Then he said, 
inquiringly: 

''I suppose you would hke a position of a re- 
sp[)nsible character, where your knowledge of 
commercial and financial affairs would be avail- 
able, but where your whole time would not be 
absorbed? " 

" i'es, that was my wish/' answered Lesparre; 
*'but, of course, I do not expect to realize my 
hopes." 

"Possibly you may, Monsieur Lesparre," said 
Don Pedro; "but let us leave the subject of busi- 
ness until to-morrow, when I should like to talk 
with you more fully about this matter. Now, let 
us return to the drawing-room, and when you see 
any of my guests approaching, please tell me 
briefly who and what they are. For instance, 
tell me about that stiff and military-looking per- 
son crossing the room." 

"That is Captain Adrian L. Kerr, a retired 
army officer, who has lived here a long time. He 
has been unsuccessful in business, and it would 
be difficult to account for his means of livelihood 
were it not that his wife, the brilliant brunette 
near the mantel-piece, is supposed to have an in- 
come of her own. Some people are so ill-natured 
as to suggest that Alexander Mclntyre, the 
w^ealthy Scotch banker now talking to her, is the 
source of her revenue, but that may be pure gos- 
sip. At any rate, she is always elegantly dressed, 
and she moves in the best society." 

*'If people suspect her of improper intimacy 



164 AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 

with Mclntyre, why do they admit her to their 
houses ? " asked Don Pedro. 

'^ Well, you see, many of the merchants and 
business men have financial dealings with Mcln- 
tyre, and they do not dare to offend him. As an 
illustration of his power, I will relate an incident 
that occurred recently. The wife of a well-known 
merchant was about to give a large party, and, 
m making out her list of invitations, she pur- 
posely left out the name of Mrs. Kerr. Her hus- 
band, on going to the bank to obtain the renewal 
of a note, found Mclntyre as surly and savage as 
a bear, and the renewal was refused. As he had 
never before had any difficulty in obtaining such 
an accommodation when hard pressed for money, 
he could not account for the change in Mclntyre's 
conduct ; but when his wife informed him of her 
action the day previous in withholding an invita- 
tion from Mrs. Kerr, he understood it all. His 
affairs were in such a condition that he could not 
afford to quarrel with Mclntyre, and so he in- 
sisted that an invitation be sent to Mrs. Kerr, in 
spite of his wife's assertion that Mrs. Kerr was 
an improper character. He was willing to admit 
that fact, but he preferred to submit to her pres- 
ence rather than to be seriously crippled in 
business. An invitation was therefore sent in 
such a way as to make the delay in its delivery 
appear accidental, and in a few days Mr. Mcln- 
tyre was willing to renew the merchant's note.'* 

'^ AVell, she certainly does carry things with a 
high hand," replied Don Pedro, smihng. f'l 



AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 165 

wonder how she would have retahated upon me 
if I had struck her name off my hst to-night ? 
However, it is not my business to question her 
character, and if my wife is satisfied to receive 
her, I shall not interfere." 

As the Don finished speaking, the music 
sounded the preliminary notes of a quadrille, 
and he hastened to find a partner. Among the 
guests were Mr. and Mrs. Arlington, whose 
minds were of such opposite characters as to 
keep them continually quarrehng. He was a 
wealthy banker of austere manners and Puri- 
tanic tastes, while she was a butterfly of fashion, 
fit only to be petted, kissed, and caressed. She 
was all gayety and life ; he, all piety and gloom. 
Her pleasures he considered sinful, while his 
recreations were to her the most painfully mel- 
ancholy observances that could be devised. 
While he believed that she was a child of wrath, 
a creature of the world, the flesh, and the devil, 
she was equally satisfied that he was on the 
highway to fanaticism and hypocrisy. Under 
these circumstances, it was not unnatural that 
she should seek her friends among those who 
mingled in fashionable society, nor that her hus- 
f band should consider it necessary to follow her 
into the gay world in order to keep a watch 
upon her. Her most attentive cavaher was a 
young bachelor named Harry Bertram, who 
seemed infatuated with her. Indeed, their pref- 
erence for each other's society was so marked 
that the tongue of scandal had already begun to 



166 AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 

wag, although no overt act could be cited against 
them. The Don, on leaving Lesparre, chanced 
to meet Mrs. Arlington, and she readily accorded 
him the pleasure of dancing with her. In the 
same set were Daniel McCarthy and Donna Lu- 
cia, Charles Sylvanus and Madame Sevier, and 
Mr. Mather and Mrs. Simon. In the adjoining 
set were Mr. Benson and M^ss Jennie Humphrey, 
Alexander Mclntyre and Mrs. Kerr, Harry Ber- 
tram and Mrs. Sanders, and Judge Eobert Mor- 
gan and Mrs. Middleton. 

Judge Morgan was a remarkable-looking per- 
son at any time, but his appearance was especially 
noticeable in a dancing -set, the incongruity of 
his presence in such a scene being irresistibly 
comical. He was about fifty years of age, but 
his face was smooth and unwrinkled ; though he 
was of the medium height, his great size gave 
him the look of a short man, which effect was 
partly increased by his long arms. He was very 
broad and fat, his stomach projecting to an ab- 
surd degree. At the same time he stood very 
erect, so that a profile view gave him a general 
resemblance to a loggerhead turtle set on end. 
His eyes were small and treacherous, his cheeks 
were puffy and flabby, his mouth was large and 
sensual. His hair and whiskers were brown and 
fine, but they always seemed unkempt. He wore 
closely-fitting black clothes, and he was fond of 
displaying an unusual amount of jewelry. He 
had obtained the office of judge of the criminal 
court by currying favor with the very classes 



AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 167 

most likely to be brought before him for trial, 
and his judicial ermine was not considered free 
from the foulest stams. His private life was. in 
many respects, a counterpart of his ofQcial con- 
duct ; though married to an agreeable woman, 
he was a notorious libertine and profligate. Still, 
he held his position in society, and was admitted 
to the acquaintance of the most reputable people 
in the city; hence, he frequently appeared at 
balls and dancing-parties, where he always tried 
to act like a light and graceful youth. 

On this occasion he was especially anxious to 
display his manly form in the same set with the 
Donna, but being disappointed in this, he chose 
the set next to hers, and acted like a playful hip- 
popotamus. While backing rapidly, in an at- 
tempt to balance to his partner, he came in con- 
tact with Mrs. Simon of the next set, and, trip- 
ping on her dress, he fell violently upon her. 
Her partner, Mr. Mather, tried to catch her as 
she also fell, but the ponderous form of the 
Judge came upon them both with crushing effect, 
and all three were brought to the floor at once. 
Mr. Mather and Mrs. Simon were quickly on 
their feet again, flushed with mortification but 
unhurt. But it was no such easy matter for the 
corpulent Judge to raise himself erect; he lay on 
liis back a moment groaning, and it was thought 
that he might be seriously injured, as his fall had 
jarred the whole house. Several gentlemen care- 
fully Hfted him upright, and the ladies gathered 
about to condole with him, when it was suddenly 



168 AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 

discovered that, if the Judge's person had not 
suifered, his clothing had. His tight dress coat 
was spHt several inches down the back, while a 
hasty ghmpse behind his coat-tails satisfied the 
spectators that his pants were in an even worse 
condition than his coat. It may be imagined 
that the situation caused some merriment, in 
spite of the efforts of the more well-bred guests 
to preserve their gravity; but when the Judge, 
having regained his feet, vociferated in great 
wrath: ^'You are a pack of monkeys. I don't 
see anything to laugh at," there was a universal 
burst of laughter which could not be repressed. 
This so enraged him that it was difficult to make 
him understand his absurd position, but at length 
Don Pedro and Monsieur Lesparre induced him 
to go to the dressing-room for repairs. As there 
was no coat in the house large enough for him, 
the Don was at his wits' end to make him suffi- 
ciently presentable to enable him to return to the 
drawing-room; but at length the Judge was 
arrayed in one of the Don's gorgeous dressing- 
gowns, which was large enough to hide most of 
the effects of the fall. He soon returned to the 
lower rooms dressed in the most remarkable cos- 
tume ever worn at a full-dress party in Gloster. 

With the exception of this accident, the even- 
ing passed off with the most perfect success, 
and the unanimous verdict was that there had 
never been a more thoroughly enjoyable enter- 
tainment given m the city. During the evening, 
Madame Sevier informed Donna Lucia of her 



AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT. 169 

willingness to take charge of the Morito establish- 
ment, and agreed to begin her reign the next 
day. Donna Lucia was dehghted at this news, 
and wiUingly accepted all the conditions, though 
she insisted for some time on giving Madame 
Sevier a liberal salary. Finding that Madame 
Sevier was resolute in her refusal to receive pay, 
the Donna informed her friends that she had in- 
vited Madame Sevier to Uve with her, and that 
the Madame had kindly agreed to assist her in 
entertaining her numerous guests. 

It was not until nearly daybreak that the more 
indefatigable revelers became weary of dancing 
and flirting, so that the Donna was quite ex- 
hausted when the last guest had departed. 
Madame Sevier remained to the end, as she in- 
tended occupying her room in the Morito man- 
sion at once, instead of returning to her boarding- 
place. Donna Lucia left orders that she was not 
to be disturbed until five o'clock in the afternoon, 
but Madame Sevier decided to get up at twelve 
o'clock, in order to superintend the work of clear- 
ing away the decorations and debris of the ball. 
The Don had invited Monsieur Lesparre to dine 
with him at six o'clock, and so it was arranged 
that they should all meet at that hour. 

'8 



170 A STARTLING SCHEME. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Madame Sevier and Her Worl^. — Unaccountable Co- 
quettishness between Man and Wife. — A Startling 
Scheme^ ilhtstrating the Rashness and Gullibility of 
A-onerican business Men and the Supreme Assur- 
ance of Don Pedro. — Disaster approaching the 
Gloster Capitalists. — Other Suspicions Aroused. — 
The Story of Mr. Warner English Diplomatic 
Agetit. — A New Move. 

MADAME SEVIEE began lier work of re- 
form in the household as soon as she was 
dressed that afternoon. Finding that they now 
had a mistress competent to control them, the 
servants showed a greater willingness to be use- 
ful, though some of them were inclined to be 
lazy and impudent as before. The Madame made 
mental notes of everything, took charge of the 
keys to all storerooms and closets, and clearly 
demonstrated that she was able to manage the 
house according to her own ideas. The cook, 
thinking she was indispensable, and that she 
could act independent of control, was very im- 
pertinent to Madame, and she evinced an insub- 
ordinate spirit that created a good deal of trouble. 
Seeing that prompt and severe measures were 
necessary, Madame Sevier paid this woman her 
wages and discharged her without a moment's 
warning. The effect upon the other servants 
was most satisfactory, and although the Madame 
was obliged to make some minor changes after- 



A STARTLING SCHEME. I7l 

ward, she was never again annoyed by imperti- 
nence or presumption. The dinner for that day 
was prepared by the assistant cook, under 
Madame Sevier's direction, and when the Don 
and Donna came down from their chamber, they 
were dehghted to find that the house was in per- 
fect order, showing no signs of having been the 
scene of revelry and dissipation the night before. 

During dinner, at which Monsieur Lesparre 
was the only guest, Don Pedro, after compH- 
menting Madame Sevier very highly upon her 
success in bringing order out of chaos, turned to 
his wife and said: 

'' Lucia, your selection of a companion and ad- 
visor has been so fortunate that I am more than 
ever disposed to follow your example. What do 
you think, Monsieur Lesparre, cannot you serve 
me as confidential secretary and financial agent 
as satisfactorily as Madame Sevier assists my 
wife?" 

''Indeed, Don Pedro,'' replied Lesparre, gal- 
lantly, "if you impose upon me the task of 
equalhng so accomphshed and charming a lady 
as Madame Sevier, you will probably be disap- 
pointed in everything I do." 

"Bravo, bravo. Monsieur Lesparre!" cried the 
Donna; "you will certainly be successful in pay- 
ing delicate compHments, at least. Yes, Pedro, 
I think you ought to secure Monsieur Lesparre's 
services at once; when you have nothing for him 
to do, he will be an agreeable companion for us. 
What say you, Madame Sevier?" 



172 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

^' I quite agree with you," replied the Madame, 
casting down her eyes coquettishly; ''but I 
prophesy that Monsieur Lesparre would find his 
position an onerous one if he should be under 
obligations to pay me compliments." 

''Ah! the obligation would be unnecessary," 
said Lesparre; '' the difficulty would be to avoid 
doing so constantly." 

The Don and Donna smiled at each other sig- 
nificantly, thinking that they saw the incipient 
signs of a mutual attachment between these two, 
and that it was not unreasonable to imagine that 
a wedding might result therefrom. How little 
they imagined that these apparently distant ac- 
quaintances were, in fact, already man and wife! 

After dinner, the Don and Lesparre repaired to 
the billiard-room to smoke, while the ladies en- 
tered the drawing-room to receive visitors. 

"Monsieur Lesparre," said the Don, as they 
lounged back in luxuriant easy-chairs, ' ' what do 
you think of my suggestion at dinner? I shoald 
really like to obtain your services as private sec- 
retary, and I will gladly give you such a salary as 
will make you independent of other labor. While 
you are attending to my affairs you will naturally 
become well acquainted with many business men, 
and will be able to investigate a number of enter- 
prises, so that you will be better able a year 
hence to invest your capital to advantage." 

"Your offer is truly liberal," replied Lesparre, 
puffing his cigar thoughtfully, "and I feel dis- 
posed to accept it. What would be my duties ? " 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 173 

^' Well, I will explain what I v.'ish fully, and 
then you can judge how the position would suit 
you," answered Don Pedro. '^ In the first place, 
I wish a financial agent, a man whom I can 
trust, who will attend to all my affairs. You see, 
I detest the details of business. I desire to live 
free from, the vexing annoyances consequent 
upon the providing and disbursing of money. 
My estates produce as much as I can use, and I 
do not trouble myself to inquire whether they 
might not yield more. I am accustomed to buy 
whatever I wish, but I hate to bother my head to 
know whether I have enough on hand to pay for 
my purchases; hence I want my secretary to at- 
tend to such matters for me. There is another 
thing in which you could be of the greatest ser- 
vice to me; for, while it is an affair of great im- 
portance, involving large interests, I am posi- 
tively too fond of my own ease to give it the 
attention which it deserves. I know I can trust 
you not to repeat the slightest portion of what I 
am about to tell you, for it is not desirable that 
it should be talked about, unless the enterprise 
is successfully carried out." 

" Indeed, you can rest assured that I shall 
never mention a hint of it to any one," repHed 
Lesparre. 

" Well, you recollect I told you last night that 
Mather, Perkins, and some others were anxious 
to have me explore and open up the diamond 
fields which, I have reason to believe, constitute 
a large part of one of my estates in Peru ? Some 



174 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

time after I spoke to you, toward the end of the 
party, I missed Mather, Perkins, Mclntyre, San- 
ders, and several others from the rooms, and 
while I was wondering what had become of 
them, Mather came up and asked me to go up to 
my dressing-room, which, you recollect, adjoined 
the room used for the gentlemen's dressing room 
last night. On arriving there, I found about a 
dozen of the wealthiest men of Gloster sitting 
around the room, with Dan McCarthy at the 
table acting as secretary. Will you believe it? 
They had actually formed a business meeting in 
my own house, and had made speeches, passed 
resokitions, and voted upon two propositions, 
which they wished to submit to me; they had 
then sent the chairman, Mr. Mather, to bring me 
in, and I was expected to stand and deliver my 
decision at a moment's notice. The idea was 
perfectly ludicrous to me, yet it did not strike 
any of them that they were doing anything 
unusual. I believe that if a party of these Glos- 
ter business men were to be landed suddenly in 
hell, they would organize a stock exchange to . 
deal in brimstone and ashes ! " 

' ' They certainly carry their business instincts 
everywhere," said Lesparre, laughing heartily. 
*'I suppose they had fully arranged everything 
before you were sent for ? " 

' ' Yes, indeed ; the very minor details were pro- 
vided for, and I could not raise an objection 
which had not already been discussed and re- 
moved. Both propositions provided for the for- 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 175 

mation of a stock company for the mining, cutting, 
and sale of diamonds. According to the first 
plan, I was to fix a price upon ray diamond fields, 
which the company would then purchase, pay- 
ing me three-fourths in cash, and one-fourth in 
stock. In case, however, that I should be un- 
wiUing to part with my controlling interest, the 
second plan provided that I should receive one- 
fourth the estimated value of the land in money, 
giving to the company therefor the privilege of 
mining for a certain length of time, and receiving 
also one-half of the value of the diamonds found. 
The idea of disposing of this property had never 
before occurred to me, and naturally I was not 
prepared to give any answer on such short notice; 
but if I had done so then, I should have positively 
rejected both propositions. In fact, I said as 
much to Mather, and he then suggested to the 
meeting that 'Senor Merit o be given a week 
to decide upon the propositions submitted to 
him.' The cool impudence of thus graciously 
giving me a week did not seem to strike them, 
and the meeting broke up with great satisfaction, 
every man feeling certain that I must accept 
one proposition or the other. It was further 
decided to appoint a committee to draw up a 
charter and by-laws, 'so as to save time,' as one 
gentleman remarked. After the gentlemen had 
left the room, Mather urged the matter upon 
me ^^ery strongly. He apologized for having 
acted with such precipitation, but, he said, the 
others were so eager, as soon as they heard that. 



176 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

I owned a vast tract of unworked diamond fields, 
that he could not restrain them. He begged me 
to make some arrangement with the ^Droposed 
company, as the men who had become interested 
in it were wealthy and enterprising, and they 
would surely push it to a profitable^ conclusion. 
In answer to my remark that I was rich enough 
already, he said that I ought to give others a 
chance to make some money who needed it, per- 
haps, more than I. Finally, as he urged it as a 
personal favor to himself, I agreed to give the 
most favorable answer that I could, and so the 
matter stands." 

'^ When are you to give your answer?" asked 
Lesparre. 

''The committee adjourned until a week from 
last night," replied the Don, "and I shall then 
again be summoned before them, I presume. 
Now, although the first proposition would not 
probably pay me so well in the end as the second, 
I much prefer it. You see I do not wish to keep 
a controlling interest because I should have the 
continual annoyance of supervising the business; 
and, as I have said before, I wish to be perfectly 
free from cares and responsibilities. My object 
is to enjoy life, and I can't be happy if I am 
obliged to work. Nevertheless, I do not wish to 
turn over this property to a body of men who 
will squeeze it like a sponge, leaving it a mere 
waste. There are a large body of tenants occu- 
pying portions of it, whose rights must be 
respected. They will make willing and honest 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 177 

laborers if properly treated, and I wish to protect 
tliem as far as possible from cruelty and extor- 
tion. Hence, I desire to learn all I can about the 
men who will create and manage the company 
before I agree to put the property into their 
hands, no matter what price they may be willing 
to pay for it; it is here, my dear Lesparre, that 
you can be of great service to me. You are well 
acquainted among all classes of business men in 
Gloster, and you can readily learn all about the 
people who purpose buying stock. This will 
be considered very natural and proper if you 
become my private secretary, and your duties 
will not be severe. What do you say ? " 

''I think I can do what you wish," said Le- 
sparre, '' but I should like a day for reflection. I 
never like to act hastily in an important matter, 
even where my mind is already made up." 

'^You are quite right," said the Don ; '^butl 
hope your mind will remain unchanged in regard 
to this matter. I will give you whatever salary 
you wish, and shall expect you, of course, to live 
here on equal terms with myself and wife. Now, 
let us join the ladies." 

On receiving Lesparre's report, I saw the whole 
scheme at a glance, and I was now convinced 
that Senator Muirhead's suspicions witji regard 
to Don Pedro were correct. I immediately vis- 
ited the Senator, and laid the latest developments 
before him. We could not helj) admiring the con- 
summate knowledge of human nature which the 
Don displayed ; he had baited his hook so skill- 



178 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

fully that the gudgeons were actually fearful lest 
something should prevent them from swallowing 
it ; but there seemed to be no probability of de- 
feating his schemes unless we could obtain posi- 
tive proofs of his dishonesty elsewhere, or detect 
him in some criminal offense in this country. 
We therefore decided to keep a close watch upon 
all his movements, and await further develop- 
ments. It was evident that the sufferers by Don 
Jose Michel's forgeries in California would not 
take any active steps against him unless they 
were sure of the identity of the man, and so we 
had no ground of accusation against him which 
we could rely upon. Both Senator Muirhead and 
myself were indignant at the audacity displayed 
in his swindling projects, but we did not dare to 
attempt his exposure without absolute proof of 
our charges. The waiting game is never a pleas- 
ant one to play, but I could not do otherwise 
under the circumstances. 

About this time I was called back to Chicago 
on important business, but I immediately sent 
my superintendent, Mr. Bangs, to Gloster, to 
take charge of the case there. During my ab- 
sence little of note occurred, except the meeting 
to hear the Don's answer to the propositions to 
purchase the diamond fields. At this meeting 
the Don was apparently anxious to decline all 
offers, saying that the property had been in the 
possession of his family for about two hundred 
years, and that he considered himself in honor 
bound to retain an interest in it. Also, he tried 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 179 

to cool the ardor of the would-be purchasers by 
telling them that he had no positive certainty 
that there wex^e valuable diamond fields on the 
property, though such was probably the case. 
His reluctance to sell the land only made them 
more determined to buy, for they argued that he 
was so well satisfied with it as a means of reve- 
nue that he wished to retain possession of it all 
himself. At length he found that they would 
give him no peace until he yielded, and so he 
graciously agreed to accept the first proposition. 
The question of price then remained to be dis- 
cussed, but, on this point, there was little oppor- 
tunity for disagreement. Having had so much 
difficulty in inducing the Don to sell at all, they 
were not disposed to endanger the sale by hag- 
gling about the price; and when the latter was 
fixed at one million five hundred thousand dol- 
lars, they made no demur, although the sum 
rather staggered their enthusiasm at first. This 
effect was only momentary, however, for the 
vivid anticipations of dividends in proportion to 
this price quickly banished their fears, and they 
hastened to subscribe the amounts required. 
These facts were all reported to me immediately 
after my return to Grloster, which occurred a day 
or two after the meeting, and I saw that the day 
of disaster to the trusting capitalists of that city 
was fast approaching. 

Neither Monsieur Lesparre nor Madame Sevier 
had learned much about the private affairs of the 
Moritos, for, whenever the latter had anything 



180 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

important to say to each other, they usually 
spoke Spanish. The Don's remaining funds 
amounted to only about eight thousand dollars, 
and at the rate with which he had hitherto spent 
money, this sum would not last much more than 
five or six weeks. The time might be extended 
to two months by running the establishment on 
credit ; but the Don was averse to such a course, 
and all bills were paid promptly at the end of 
each month. He showed no uneasiness as his 
cash began to run low, but merely said that if 
the first installment on the mine should be paid 
in soon, it would obviate the necessity of drawing 
upon his agents' in Lima, otherwise he should 
call upon them for fifty thousand dollars to carry 
him through the year. There was nothing in his 
manner or actions to excite suspicion, and cer- 
tainly, if he intended to defraud the Diamond 
Company, he had too much nerve to betray him- 
self, even to so close an observer as Monsieur 
Lesparre. 

Having heard the reports, I strolled out in the 
evening for a walk with Mr. Bangs, and while 
passing one of the leading hotels, I met a very 
intimate friend, named Judge Key. The Judge 
was an old resident of Gloster, and his character 
was highly esteemed by all who knew him. He 
was a man of great ability and force; but, pos- 
sessing little ambition, he was not nearly so well 
known as many of those who were his inferiors 
in point of intellect and morals. We had a great 
deal of business between us at one time, and our 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 181 

relations to each other were of the most cordial 
character, partaking more of the nature of per- 
sonal friendship than mere business acquaint- 
ance. I had not visited him previously during 
my stay in Glostor, for the reason that, even to 
my intimate friends, I never make my presence 
known when engaged in an operation, if I can 
avoid doing so. On this occasion, the Judge 
recognized me instantly, and greeted me with 
great warmth, at the same time adding that I 
was just the man above all others whom he 
wished to see. He then introduced his com- 
panion to Mr. Bangs and myself as Mr. Edward 
Ashley Warne, of London, England. 

*' Now, Mr. Pinkerton," said the Judge, ^4et us 
step into the club close by, and over a social glass 
of wine, Mr. Warne will tell you about a pecu- 
liar case of mistaken identity, or of consummate 
rascality — it is hard to know which. Possibly 
you may be able to understand some things 
which puzzle us, and to frustrate a fraudulent 
scheme, if our suspicions are correct. You both 
know each other by reputation, I guess, and I 
presume, Mr. Warne, that you will not object to 
tell Mr. Pinkerton what you have told me." 

"Oh! yes, I have often heard of Mr. Pinker- 
ton," said Mr. Warne, " and I think, as you say, 
that he can clear up the mystery, if any one can. 
I shall be pleased to tell him all that I know with 
regard to it." 

Mr. Edward Ashley Warne was an attache of 
the British diplomatic service, and, having been 



182 A. STARTLING SCHEME. 

entrusted with the settlement of some questions 
relative to commerce between the United States 
and Great Britain, he had executed his mission 
with such fairness, good sense, and courtesy that 
he was regarded with great kindness and respect 
by our people as well as by his own government. 
He was on a rapid tour through the United 
States, previous to his return to London, and he 
had spent a week in Gloster with Judge Key at 
the time when we met in front of the hotel. We 
were soon comfortably seated in one of the pri- 
vate dining-rooms of the club, and, after a few 
sips of wine, Mr. Warne began his story. 

'^I don't know whether I am the victim of 
imagination, or the gentlemen of Gloster are 
likely to be the victims of an impostor; but one 
thing is certain, that a gentleman here known as 
Don Pedro P. L. de Morito is the exact image of 
a man who was known in London as Don Jose 
Arias." 

This information came so unawares that I al- 
most betrayed my interest in the case by utter- 
ing a hasty exclamation. I restrained my feel- 
ings, however, and asked Mr. Warne to tell me 
all he knew about this man. 

''Well, I first met him in Paris, when I was a 
member of the French Legation," replied Mr. 
Warne. '' He was then moving in the most 
aristocratic society, and his wealth was reputed 
enormous. I saw a great deal of him at times, 
and, indeed, I was better acquainted with him 
than I was with many of my countrymen ; but I 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 183 

was recalled to London about that time, and I 
soon forgot all about Don Jose Arias." 

"Pardon me," I interrupted; "was the Don 
married ? " 

' ' Oh ! yes ; he had a beautiful wife, I have 
been told, but I never happened to see her. I 
think she was Spanish, if I recollect rightly. 
One day, after my return to England, as I was 
entering the Foreign Office, I met Don Jose com- 
ing out, and he seemed delighted to see me. He 
said that lie had come to spend some months in 
London, and he hoped to enjoy my society fre- 
quently. I was then engaged in studying a very 
difficult diplomatic question, and I was unable to 
give any time whatever to society ; I therefore 
expressed my regrets that I should be obliged to 
dechne all invitations, and, after some further 
conversation, we separated. I often heard of 
him in connection with social events in the best, 
circles, and, on one or two occasions, I met him 
in the street ; but I did not renew our former de- 
gree of intimacy, for the simple reason that I did 
not have the time to do so. Just before I left 
London on the mission for which I had been pre- 
paring myself, I was astonished to learn that 
Don Jose Arias had proved to be a scoundrel of 
the most dangerous character. He had not 
hunted small game, it is true, but this was prob- 
ably a part of his Avhole scheme. So far as I 
could learn, he had left no unpaid bills in the 
hands of tradesmen, but he had taken enough 
out of bankers and capitalists to pay his trades- 



184 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

men's bills for half a century. The aggregate 
fraudulently obtained by him was never known, 
for many of his victims refused to state their 
loss ; but it was surmised that he obtained as 
much as forty or fifty thousand pounds sterling 
in London alone, while several Paris bankers also 
suffered heavily. I was not specially interested 
in the affair, and it had wholly passed from my 
mind, when suddenly, while walking in the 
streets of this city last week, I came upon Don 
Jose Arias again. He wore his hair differently 
from his old way in London and Paris, having 
now full side-whiskers, whereas then he wore 
only moustache and goatee ; but I could not be 
mistaken, and I said to Judge Key : 'There is a 
man who forged paper to an immense amount in 
London less than two years ago.' ' Impossible ! ' 
replied the Judge ; ' he is a very wealthy man, 
moving in the best society in the city.' The 
Judge then vouched for him with such earnest- 
ness that I began to believe that I was mistaken; 
but I determined to meet him face to face, to see 
whether there could be two persons so nearly re- 
sembling each other. Unfortunately he had an 
opportunity to see me before I saw him when T 
next met him, so that I lost the chance of sur 
prising him into betraying himself. He ap- 
peared to glance at me casually, as any stranger 
would do, and then went on with his conversation 
without hesitation or embarrassment. I have 
met him several times since then, and he always 
acts with the same natural ease of manner, as if 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 185 

we had always been perfect strangers to each 
other ; but, Mr. Pinkerton, the more I see of 
him, the more fully am I convinced that Don 
Jose Arias, of London, and Don Pedro P. L. de 
Morito, of Gloster, are identical; and, believing 
this, I consider it my duty to tell you these facts 
in order that your citizens may be protected 
against him, if possible." 

'^ Well, Mr. Pinkerton," said Judge Key, 
'^ what do you think of this affair? Mr. Warne 
does not admit that he can be mistaken, and 
there are some corroboratory evidences that he 
may be right; yet, it seems incredible. It is a 
pity that Mr. Warne should have never seen Don 
Jose's wife, because he could then compare her 
with Senora Morito, and if they, too, were exact 
resemblances, there would be no longer any room 
for doubt." 

*^That would certainly be a strong proof," I 
remarked; ''but I think it is unnecessary. The 
suspicion you have spoken of, Mr. Warne, has 
already been raised by another gentleman in this 
city, and I have been requested to discover 
whether or not it is correct." 

''Why, you astonish me!" exclaimed Judge 
Key, "for Mr. Warne has not mentioned the 
subject to any one but me, and I have never even 
hinted anything about it except to you gentle- 
men." 

"Nevertheless, I have suspected for some tim6 
that this Don Pedro was an impostor, and have 
been trying to obtain positive proof of my 



186 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

opinion, in order to save many persons here from 
being swindled by him. You are acquainted 
with Senato'r Muirhead, Judge? " 

''Oh! yes, quite well." 

''He has taken enough interest in the affairs 
of his constituents to place in my hands the task 
of exposing this man, Don Pedro, in his true 
light." 

" That seems very kind and disinterested on 
the part of our Senator," said Judge Key, with a 
quizzical smile; "but I will venture to say that 
his interest has been excited more by the Don's 
marked attentions to Mrs. Muirhead, than by the 
fear that some of his constituents would be de- 
frauded." 

Of course I took no notice of this remark, 
although I was quite convinced that such was 
the fact; but as the Senator was my client, it 
would have been eminently improper for me to 
discuss his motives, and so I turned to Mr. 
Warne. 

"As you have already met this man under 
another name, Mr. Warne," I said, " can you not 
go with me to meet Senator Muirhead, and tell 
him what you know about him? " 

"I must beg you to excuse me, Mr. Pinker- 
ton," he replied. "You see, I am in this country 
in an official capacity, and, while I am personally 
perfectly satisfied of the truth of the statements 
I have made to you, I cannot prove them ; hence, 
I must be careful not to involve myself in a diffi- 
culty which would compromise my position as a 



A STARTLING SCHEME. 18^ 

diplomatic agent of Great Britain. I shall imme- 
diately give to the police, on my arrival in Lon- 
don, a description of this man, and I presume 
that prompt action will be taken to insure his 
arrest and extradition, in case his offenses should 
come under the extradition treaty. But as this 
is a question upon which the decision of both 
governments may be required, the delay may 
enable this man to escape. I will use all my 
influence with the London authorities ; you will 
readily see, however, that personally I cannot 
appear here as an accuser against him. " 

I recognized the force of Mr. Warne's objec- 
tion, and did not press him further, but Judge 
Key agreed to visit the Senator as soon as the 
latter should return to the city. When I left 
Mr. Warne we had agreed that any British 
official who might be sent to identify and arrest 
Don Pedro, should communicate with me the 
moment he arrived in this country, so that we 
could work together for the same object, though 
my whole duty in the case would be to protect 
the interests of my client, Senator Muirhead. I 
then returned to my room with Mr. Bangs, and 
made a new move. I saw that more than two 
months would elapse before any news could be 
expected from London, as Mr. Warne would be 
somewhat delayed in his return home, and mean- 
time, the Don would probably obtain a large 
advance payment for his fictitious minesv If 
anything should occur to prevent us from sending 
him to England, he might succeed in getting 



188 A STARTLING SCHEME. 

away with his plunder before we could find any 
new grounds upon which to hold him. I therefore 
instructed Mr. Bangs to write to the proper 
authorities in Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador, describ- 
ing Don Pedro and his numerous suspected 
aliases accurately, and asking that some steps be 
taken by his victims to bring him to justice. It 
was true that we had no extradition treaties with 
those countries, but nevertheless he might be 
arrested and frightened into surrendering him- 
self voluntarily. The letters were dispatched at 
once, and duplicates were also forwarded by the 
next steamer. There remained nothing further 
for me to do except to keep a strict watch upon 
the Moritos to ^see that they should not slip off 
suddenly with a large sum of money. The Dia- 
mond Company were in such haste to bind the 
bargain with Don Pedro, by making him a large 
payment, that there could be no hope of prevent- 
ing the partial success of his scheme. Whether 
I might not be able to force him to disgorge 
afterward was uncertain, but I determined to use 
every means in my power to accomplish such a 
result. 



VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 189 



o 



CHAPTER V. 

The third Detective is made welcome at Don Pedro's. — 
The Senor is paid the first half-million dollars from 
the great Diamond Company.— Hoio Don Pedro is 
''working'' his Diamond 3fines.— Ver\j suspicious 
preparations.— The Don describes his proposed Fete 
Ghampetre. 

NE evening, as the members of the Morito 
family were about to retire, Monsiem^ Le- 
sparre noticed a nervousness and abstraction in 
Don Pedro such as he had never shown before. 
Thinking that something new might be learned 
by overhearing th^ conversation between the Don 
and Donna when they should be alone, Lesparre, 
instead of going to his own room, shpped into an 
unused closet adjoining the Don's dressing-room, 
and communicating therewith by a door, which 
was kept locked. There was a transom over this 
door, and, by climbing to one of the shelves, 
Lesparre could hear aU that was said in either 
room of the Don's bedroom suite. He had hardly 
taken this position when the two entered their 

apartments. 

''See what a handsome necklace that old tool 
Mather sent me to-day," said the Donna. 

'' Yes, it is very elegant and valuable," said Don 
Pedro, with a yawn; "but what we most need is 
money. However, I do not imagine we shall 
have any difficulty, for I expect a large sum in a 



190 VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

few days from the stockholders in this Diamond 
Company. Still, you may as well get all you can 
out of Mather and the others, for we must keep 
up our present style of living to the end." 

Just at this moment the shelf upon which Le- 
sparre was sitting gave a loud creak, and he had 
only just time to slip down and regain his own 
room before the Don came out to see what was 
the matter. Fortunately, there was a large pet 
cat in the hall, and she received the credit of 
having made the noise. 

The next day, on hearing Lesparre's report, I 
decided to place still another detective in the 
Morito mansion, and so I instructed Lesparre to 
recommend the employment of a young man to 
assist the butler and to do genetal work about 
the house. As I expected, Don Pedro acquiesced 
in the suggestion, and told Lesparre to engage 
such men-servants as he considered necessary. 
Accordingly, I at once telegraphed to Chicago to 
have a young fellow named George Salter sent 
to Gloster at once. He was a very intelligent 
French Canadian, and I chose him because of 
his slim build, his ingenuity, and his capacity as 
an eavesdropper. He could listen to a conversa- 
tion with such a stolid expression that no one 
would imagine he had an idea in his head beyond 
the performance of his regular tasks, and even 
when caught in a place where he had no right to 
be, he could invent a plausible reason on the in- 
stant, which would divert all suspicion from him. 
On his arrival in Gloster, he was sent to ask em- 



VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 191 

ployment of Monsieur Lesparre, and, of course, 
the latter was so pleased with him as to engage 
him at once. He made himself very useful in 
the house, and soon became popular with every 
inmate. 

A few days later a meeting of the stockholders 
of the Diamond Company was held, and it was 
agreed to make a payment of five hundred thou- 
sand dollars at once, another like sum when the 
title-deeds should be delivered, and the balance 
within one year from that time. This arrange- 
ment was satisfactory to the Don, and the sum 
of half a million dollars was paid over that day in 
the checks of the different original subscribers. 
The meeting then appointed a committee of two 
to visit Peru and examine the property. There 
was some difficulty in selecting two gentlemen 
who would be willing to go, and yet who would 
be satisfactory to the others; but Deacon Hum- 
phrey and John Preston were finally chosen. 
Either of these gentlemen was willing to go any- 
where at others' expense, and it was believed 
that John Preston was too well versed in fraudu- 
lent practices to let any one else do any cheating; 
hence, he was sent to investigate the mines, and 
Deacon Humphrey was sent to see that John 
Preston should not steal them. They were not 
to depart on their mission, however, until the 
title-deeds were received from Peru and delivered 
to the directors. 

Don Pedro passed the checks over to Lesparre, 
and informed the meeting that ho had already 



192 VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

sent to Peru for the deeds, and that the directors 
should be informed the moment they should ar- 
rive; thereafter, all business matters relative to 
his interest in the mines would be attended to by 
Eobert Harrington, Esq., who would be his attor- 
ney in fact. The deeds would be directed to Mr. 
Harrington, and that gentleman would deliver 
them to the directors, receive the second pay- 
ment, and give his receipt therefor. 

This arrangement was satisfactory to all, and 
the meeting adjourned in good spirits, every man 
feeling that the Don had done him a personal 
favor in accepting his check in part payment for 
such a valuable property. 

The Don, having indorsed the checks, in- 
structed Lesparre to present them at once for 
payment, each at its own bank, and to bring the 
money to the house; he was to obtain as much 
as possible in gold, as the Don professed to have 
little confidence in the bills of private banks. 

^' They may be perfectly sound, Lesparre," he 
said, in an off-hand way, ^^but then, you know, 
we foreigners are accustomed to government 
bills, or gold, and so I prefer to have the latter." 

Taking Don Pedro's carriage, Lesparre visited 
each bank, and by the time he had cashed the 
last check, he had a considerable weight of gold 
and a large amount of bills, about two-thirds 
having been paid in coin. Lesparre and Salter 
carried all the money up to the Don's dressing- 
room, where the Don and Donna were sitting. 

*' There, my dear," said Don Pedro to his wife. 



VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 193 

''this is the first installment of the purchase 
money of the diamond fields, so that now it will 
not be long before they will be thoroughly worked. 
The directors have promised me that you shall 
have the finest diamond set that the mines can 
produce within a year from this time, as a pres- 
ent from the company, and you need no longer 
plague me for not having tried to work them be- 
fore." 

"Oh! Pedro, how lovely!" exclaimed the 
Donna; "you know I have always wanted you 
to open those mines, and I am so glad that you 
have consented. Now I shall have a set that I 
shall be proud of." 

''Well, I did not like to give up the old estate 
to strangers, I confess," replied the Don; "but 
now that it is done, I do not regret it. If you wish 
any money, help yourself; you can write to your 
agents in Rio that they need not send any more 
for the present, for we shall have as much as we 
can use for a year or two. George," he con- 
tinued, addressing Salter, " you will find a stout 
iron box in the attic, and I think it will serve as 
a safe for the present. Bring it down here and 
put it in this room." 

The box was soon brought, and the Don 
checked off the packages of gold and bills as Le- 
sparre packed them away, the gold at the bottom. 

"Now, you can check against my bank ac- 
counts for our current expenses, Lesparre," said 
Don Pedro, with a complacent smile; "and when 
the funds on deposit are exhausted, I will give 




194 VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

you cash monthly to pay all bills as heretofore. I 
intend to give a grand fete champetre soon, as a 
lesson to these Gloster people how to enjoy life. 
I propose to engage one of the islands in the 
river at once, and begin the necessary work of 
preparing it artistically for the scene of our 
revelry. I shall choose one of the large wooded 
islands with ridges and ravines running through 
it, and it will take about two weeks to clear away 
the underbrush, to clean up the grass and pre- 
pare the landing-places. Then, by the end of an- 
other week, the weather will be delightful, and 
our arrangements will be completed. I will make 
the place a fairy spectacle, such as the unim- 
aginative inhabitants of Gloster never dreamed 
of, and then we will prepare for our summer trip 
to Newport and Saratoga. What do you think 
of the plan, Monsieur Lesparre ? " 

^ ^ It is an admirable one, and I feel sure that 
the people of Gloster will enjoy such an entertain- 
ment far more than any that has ever been given 
here." 

^^Well, I shall rely largely upon your assist- 
ance," continued the Don, carefully locking his 
safe as he spoke, ''and we must divide the duties 
between us, though of course my time will be 
somewhat taken up by society. Suppose we issue 
invitations for three weeks from to-day ? " 

''Better say five weeks, if not six," replied Le- 
sparre, anxious to delay Don Pedro's departure as 
much as possible in order to obtain an answer to 
our letters to Peru and Brazil. "You see, the 



VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 195 

people here are not accustomed to such gayeties, 
and it will take some time to prepare their minds 
to appreciate it." 

"Yes, that is true," said the Don, reflectively; 
''but I do not like to defer it so long. However, 
let us compromise by fixing one month hence as 
the time, and we will make it a masquerade as 
well as an outdoor fete. The guests will then 
have ample time to prepare their costumes, and 
we can give that as a reason for issuing the invi- 
tations so long in advance." 

The Don was in no special hurry to escape with 
his plunder, but neither was he desirous of 
remaining too long in the vicinity of his victims; 
hence, although he had no suspicion that his 
schemes had been discovered by any one, he fixed 
an earlier date than that suggested by Lesparre 
in order to prevent the probability of any accident 
occurring to mar his plans. 

Lesparre immediately ordered the cards of invi- 
tation, and in a few days all Gloster was in a 
state of pleasurable excitement over the news of 
the coming event. Never had such a commotion 
been created in the placid waters of society as 
was raised by the delicate cards of invitation to 
Senora Morito's fete cliampetre and hat masque. 
The number who received invitations was enor- 
mous, including every individual having any 
claims to be regarded as a member of good society. 
From that time forward, Lesparre was so busy 
with the preparations for the fete that he was 
able to see very little of the rest of the family except 



396 VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

in the evening. The Don and Donna and Madame 
Sevier continued their usual round of dissipation 
and gayety, however, and ''all went merry as a 
marriage bell." 

Still there were some curious features of their 
conduct which I regarded with suspicion. Every 
day the Don gave Lesparre a large sum in bank- 
bills to be exchanged for gold, and the coin was 
then locked up in the iron safe. Then the Don 
and Donna held frequent conversations in Span- 
ish, during which it was easy to see by their 
manner that they were discussing an affair of 
great importance. Madame Sevier found a new- 
ly-purchased traveler's guide-book in the Donna's 
bureau, and from various marks and turned 
pages it was evident that it had been carefully 
consulted with reference to an ocean voyage. 
These things led me to the conclusion that the 
Don was preparing for a journey, and the fact 
that he made no mention of it, even to Lesparre, 
showed that he intended to go secretly. To all 
his acquaintances he spoke freely of his con- 
templated tour of the watering-places during the 
summer, but he always promised to spend the 
following winter in Gloster, without fail; hence 
it was clear that he was playing a double game, 
to deceive some one. I could only w^ait further 
developments, and heartily wish for advices from 
Peru or England. 

In company with Judge Key I called upon Sen- 
ator Muirhead, on the return of that gentleman 
from the session of Congress, and we discussed 



VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 197 

together the best plan to pursue, to foil the 
schemes of Don Pedro. The Senator was very 
anxious to proceed against him immediately, 
with the intention of showing him up in his true 
character, and thus saving his victims from any 
further loss. 

'' Indeed, Senator Muirhead," I replied, '' I am 
as desirous to arrest his fraudulent operations as 
yourself, but I want to be sure of success before 
I do anything, and I do not see my way clear to 
act just now. At present we can prove nothing 
whatever against him; in fact, the only charge 
we could make would be that of obtaining money 
under false pretenses. Now, what evidence could 
we bring to substantiate the accusation ? There 
is no judge living that would hold him on my or 
your individual opinion that he has sold mines 
which do not exist, and we should have nothing 
else to offer." 

^'Yes, but you forget his forgeries in other 
countries," interrupted the Senator. 

" In the first place," I replied, '' you could not 
charge him in this country with crimes com- 
mitted elsewhere, even though you had the posi- 
tive proof of those crimes. If you charged him 
here with obtaining money under false pre- 
tenses, you could produce no testimony except 
such as bore upon the specific act alleged in your 
complaint; all other testimony would be ruled 
out. But, even suppose that such testimony 
were admissible, can you produce any witness to 
his crimes in other countries ? Indeed, admitting 



108 VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

again that these crimes were proven, can we es- 
tablish the identity of Don Pedro P. L. de Morito 
as the perpetrator of those crimes? No, sir; wf 
have not a single witness; I ask you as a lawyer, 
Judge Key, am I not right ? " 

^'You are correct in every particular, Mr. 
Pinkerton," replied the Judge. ^' I confess that 
you present the difficulties of the case more 
forcibly than I could have done myself." 

^' Yes, you are right, Mr. Pinkerton," said Sen- 
ator Muirhead ; ''I do not see that we can do 
anything ; yet it seems shameful to sit idly doing 
nothing, when we know that this scoundrel is 
obtaining such immense sums from our people. 
What do you propose to do in the future, Mr. 
Pinkerton ? " 

' ' I can hardly tell what may be possible as 
yet," I answered; ^^but I feel sure that I shall 
not only prevent him from securing any more 
plunder, but also wrest from him that which has 
already fallen into his hands. He feels secure in 
the possession of this large sum, and he is in no 
great hurry to get away; he will undoubtedly re- 
main until after his fete champetre at least. Be- 
fore that time, I hope to hear something definite 
from either England or Peru, and then I can act 
with a power in reserve in case our own means 
should be insufficient to enforce our demands for 
restitution. Any action against him now would 
only result in hastening his departure with ah 
the money he has gained, for I am certain thai 
we could not hold him." 



VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 199 

^' Well, I see that nothing can be done now," 
said the Senator, despondently; ''but do not lose 
sight of this man for a moment, Mr. Pinkerton, 
for he seems an adept in all the tricks of crime." 

''Never fear, Senator Muirhead," I replied, 
cheerfully; "I feel sure that we shall eventually 
not only bring his career here to a hasty close, 
but also recover the money which he has fraudu- 
lently obtained." 

When we parted, the Senator was a little more 
hopeful, though he said that he should not be at 
all surprised if Don Pedro outwitted us after all. 
The loss to the Senator's friends would, of course, 
be very large; but, perhaps, the lesson would not 
be a bad thing for them; they would know better 
thereafter than to part with their money so fool- 
ishly. 

That same evening the Don and Donna, Mon- 
sieur Lesparre, and Madame Sevier, were engaged 
for the evening at a dancing party given by 
Judge Peter B. Taylor. Knowing of their inten- 
tions to attend this party, I saw an excellent op- 
portunity for Salter to examine the private apart- 
ments of the Don and Donna. Accordingly, 
after the family had gone away in the carriage, 
Salter began to talk to the other servants about 
the advantages of belonging to a family where 
the domestics were allowed to do as they pleased, 
instead of being so carefully watched. The laun- 
dress then related how much less pleasure they 
had, now that Madame Sevier was in charge of 
the household. 



200 VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

^' Why," said she, '' before this French woiP<in 
came, the servants here had as good a time as 
any one could ask. Many a fine ribbon, or hand- 
kerchief, or bit of a collar, they picked up unbe- 
knownst to the Donna; and, as for aitin', why 
there was niver a lock on any storeroom in the 
house, so that there was lashins of good livin' in 
the kitchen as well as in the dinin'-room. But 
when this Madame Sevyay came, she put every- 
thing under lock and key, and she snapped off 
the old cook's head in no time for sassin' her. 
Jist so with the men; this Lesparre, the Don's 
private secretary, is as close with the men as the 
Madame is with the women. The butler used 
to often bring a nice bottle of wine into the 
kitchen for us to be merry over, but he can't do 
it now." 

''Well, I beheve I can find something to drink 
by a little search," said Salter, with a knowing 
wink at the laundress and chambermaid. " You 
wait here, and I'll see what I can do to provide a 
glass of wine all 'round. 

"Oh! would you dare?" asked the handsome 
chambermaid, looking at Salter admiringly. 
"Ain't you 'fraid you'll be caught?" 

" No, indeed; I believe I can get a bottle of port 
out of one of the rooms upstairs, without any one 
ever discovering its loss. Anyhow, I'm going 
to try, so you all stay here while I make search." 

Accoi^dingly, Salter went straight to the Don's 
room, to which he had a key. Having received 
from Lesparre an impression of the locks of the 



YERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 201 

house several days before, I had had a skeleton 
key made, which would open almost any door 
about the place. While apparently engaged in 
cleaning the door-knobs, it had been a very easy 
matter for him to take, in wax, a complete im- 
pression of the wards of all the door-locks, with 
out attracting suspicion. He now had no diffi- 
culty, therefore, in entering the Don's room, 
where he found that the Don had removed his 
iron chest from his dressing-room to his chamber, 
it being placed at the head of the bedstead. On 
trying to hft the box, he found that it was very 
heavy indeed, requiring all his strength to stir it. 
This was due, of course, to the coin which had 
been put into it, and Salter's testimony, therefore, 
corroborated Lesparre's. Salter then, in accord- 
ance with my instructions, carefully bored holes 
through the door leading into the closet in which 
Lesparre had once hstened to a short conversation 
between the Don and Donna. He arranged these 
holes so that they would not be detected by the 
eye, and having thus prepared an excellent place 
for hstening to the occupants of the chamber 
suite, Salter returned to the kitchen. On the 
way, he opened the dining-room sideboard and 
captured a bottle of port wine, with which he en- 
tertained the other servants in fine style. 

Meanwhile, the Don and his party had been 

received ^ith the utmost cordiahty by Judge 

Taylor and his wife, who felt quite proud to be 

the first to entertain such distinguished guests 

9* 



202 VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

after the sale of the diamond mines, and the issue 
of the invitations to the Don's grand fete. 

Every one had talked about the affair, but no 
one felt exactly sure what a fete champetre was, 
and so United States Commissioner Charlie Mor- 
ton determined to ask the Don himself what his 
entertainment would be. Accordingly, as Dor 
Pedro approached with Mrs. Arlington on his 
arm, Morton greeted him pleasantly, and said: 

^' Don Pedro, every one who has received an 
invitation to jour fete champetre is dying of curi- 
osity to know what it means, and so I am going 
to take the liberty of asking you to explain it. I 
freely confess my own ignorance, and I know 
that there are a great many others no better in- 
formed than I am, who would be ashamed to ad- 
mit that fact; but I cheerfully acknowledge that 
I have never attended one, and I don't know how 
I shall be expected to dress nor to act. So please 
tell me all about it, and I will promise to spread 
the news among my acquaintances." 

'^My dear sir," replied Don Pedro, politely, '^I 
admire your frankness, and I shall take pleasure 
in explaining the principal features of our fete 
champetre. It was the Donna Lucia's desire and 
mine to devote one day to enjoyment, and we 
therefore decided upon giving an entertainment 
in the open air which should combine every 
species of gayety and social recreation. It is our 
intention to embark in the forenoon and proceed 
by steamer to one of the large islands in the river. 
There everything wiU be prepared for out dooi 



VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 203 

enjoyment; there will be boats and bathing- 
houses; swings and archery-grounds; bilhard- 
tables and bowhng-alleys; in short, opportunities 
will be provided for the gratification of every 
one's tastes. About five o'clock a dinner will be 
served, the menu for which will include every 
procurable luxury of the table, and after dinner, 
the evening will be spent in dancing on the open 
platforms or in enclosed ballrooms, according to 
the preferences of the guests, while magnesium 
hghts and colored lanterns will give all possible 
brilhancy to the scene. Dazzhng displays of fire- 
works will be given at intervals during the even- 
ing, and when we finally leave the island on our 
return to the city, a grand illumination of the 
whole island will take place as we steam off into 
the darkness." 

Quite a group had gathered around while the 
Don was speaking, and as he closed, there was a 
general murmur of admiration. The whole 
affair was planned on a scale of such magnifi- 
cence as to appear almost too wonderful to be be- 
lieved, but the Don had shown such fertility of 
invention previously, that there was no doubt he 
was quite equal to creating a scene of oriental 
splendor such as had never before been witnessed 
in this country. 

''Well, I admit frankly," said Charhe Morton, 
"that we Americans must learn the art of enjoy- 
ing hf e from foreigners, and I think there is no 
doubt that Don Pedro is a most adept master of 
its mysteries. Is there not something said in the 



204: VERY SUSPICIOUS PREPARATIONS. 

invitations about appearing in masks, Don 
Pedro?" 

''Oh, yes ; I forgot to say at first that there 
will be much amusement in requiring every 
guest to be dressed in fancy costume and to wear 
a mask. The masks will not be removed until 
the dinner is served, and then, at a given signal, 
the guests will expose themselves in their own 
characters." 

The Don's description of the intended pro- 
gramme for the fete was soon repeated through 
all the fashionable circles of Gloster, and the ex- 
pectation of the whole city was raised to a high 
pitch. No other social event had ever created a 
like excitement, and it was the theme of conver- 
sation at all times and in all places. 

The day following the Taylor's party Don 
Pedro seemed to have determined to get rid of as 
much paper money in exchange for gold as pos- 
sible, and during the day he sent more than 
twenty thousand dollars to be exchanged ; of this 
amount Lesparre and Madame Sevier handled the 
greater portion, but even the young man, Salter, 
was entrusted with three thousand dollars in 
paper, for which he obtained gold at a trifling 
discount. This method of exchanging money 
was repeated several times, it being evidently the 
Don's intention to retain nothing but gold in his 
possession, and as he had already obtained the 
greater portion of his plunder in coin, it was not 
long before he had accomplished his object. 

Meantime, the preparations for the fete went 



A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 205 

on apace, and the time of the Don and Lesparre 
was quite fully occupied in planning and arrang- 
ing the details. The Senator called to see me 
daily, and his constant urging somewhat excited 
me, so that I became nervous and apprehensive 
myself. Still, no news came from abroad, and I 
could do nothing. 



CHAPTEE VI. 

A Mysterious Stranger. — An unexpected Meeting and a 
startling Recognition. — An old Friend somewhat 
disturbs the Equanimity of Don Pedro. — The Detec- 
tives fix their Attentio7i upon Pietro Dernardi. — 
Pletro and his unpalatable Reminiscences . — The 
Donna shows Spirit. 

EAELY one forenoon Salter was called to the 
front door by a violent pull at the bell, and 
on arriving there he confronted a rather disrep- 
utable-looking character, who eyed him with an 
extremely distrustful look. The man appeared 
to be about thirty years old, and he was evidently 
a foreigner. He was tall, well-formed, and mus- 
cular, and his general bearing was quite at variance 
with his ragged, dirty clothing. He had black 
hair and moustache, a swarthy complexion, small 
feet and hands, the latter soft and well- shaped, 
and his dark eyes were piercing and brilhant. 

'^Good morning," he said to Salter, with a 
haughty nod; " is Don Juan at home ? " 



206 A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 



a 



No such person lives here," repHed Salter, 
partially closing the door upon the wolfish- 
appearing stranger. 

^'I have good reasons for believing that Don 
Juan is here," replied the man, "and is doubtless 
the guest of the gentleman who resides here. At 
any rate, I know that he is now in this houise, 
and I want to see him very much. He would be 
equally glad to see me if he knew I were here;" 
and so saying, he pushed Salter aside and entered 
the hall. 

This action still further prejudiced Salter against 
him, and he said: 

" Perhaps you mean Monsieur Lesparre, who is 
a guest of my employer? " 

*' That may be," replied the man; " please say 
that I wish to see him immediately." 

Salter did not care to leave the stranger alone, 
and so he told one of the female servants, who was 
dusting the parlor furniture, to call Monsieur Le- 
sparre. That gentleman was in Don Pedro's 
room, discussing some plans for the fete, and, 
when informed that a stranger wished to see 
him, he told the servant to show him to the 
room where he usually transacted business. As 
the man passed before Don Pedro's door, how- 
ever, Lesparre stepped out to learn who it was. 

"This man wishes to see you. Monsieur I^e- 
sparre," said Salter, who was following the stran- 
ger. 

"That is not the gentleman I asked for," the 
latter rephed. 



A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 207 

At this instant Don Pedro came into the hall, 
and, as his eyes fell upon the stranger, he gave a 
sudden start, and became very pale. The recog- 
nition was mutual, for the newcomer rushed for- 
ward and said: 

^^Ah! Don Juan, I am delighted to meet you 
again. I knew I was not mistaken when I saw 
you yesterday and recognized " 

''There, there!" interrupted the Don, giving 
the speaker a warning look, '^ I am glad to meet 
you again, Pietro; walk into my room, and sit 
down." 

Lesparre was about to follow, but Don Pedro 
stopped, and whispered to him: 

'' Excuse me a short time, my dear Lesparre; 
this is an old acquaintance whom I knew in bet- 
ter circumstances years ago. He seems quite re- 
duced now, and he may be sensitive enough to 
object to telling the story of his loss of fortune 
before a stranger;" and, so saying, the Don re- 
tired to his room, leaving . Lesparre and Salter 
outside. 

The latter immediately hurried into the closet, 
where he could hear the whole conversation 
within the room. 

''Well, Pietro," began the Don, "where are 
you from ? You have not been fortunate, it is 
evident; but how did it happen ? " 

" You are right; I have had bad luck," replied 
Pietro. "It is the old story; I have had thou- 
sands of dollars at times, and have lived like a 
prince; and again I have been badly treated by 



208 A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 

Dame Fortune, and have lived as I could; but I 
have never before been so very miserable and 
poor as now. Positively, it is most providential 
that I have met you, for I have eaten nothing f oi 
twenty-four hours." 

^' Indeed, Pietro, you shock me," replied the 
Don, sympathetically ; ^^ shall I order some break- 
fast for you ? " 

" No; I can wait awhile, and I do not care to be 
seen by your servants until I get better clothing. 
But tell me where you have been since we parted 
in Peru. You have certainly been as fortunate 
as I have been the reverse; do you make much by 
gambling ? " 

''No, Pietro; I gamble very little, except in an 
occasional game of cards with gentlemen of my 
acquaintance; but I made a good sum — that is," 
continued the Don, checking himself a moment, 
"I made a wealthy marriage, and my wife's for- 
tune is ample for us both. By the way, how did 
you happen to find me ?" 

"Well, I have been enjoying life in New Or- 
leans for some time, and, having won quite a 
large amount there, I decided to come North as 
the mild weather began. So I started a month 
ago on one of those enormous Mississippi steam- 
boats, and, of course, I gambled whenever I could. 
My luck was bad from the start, and, on arriving 
here, I had nothing except my clothing and 
jewelry ; these I pawned gradually, and soon I 
was reduced to my present condition. Yesterday 
I met you as you were entering the Globe Hotel 



A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 209 

with a party of gentlemen, but I did not want to 
mortify you by speaking to you in company ; so I 
waited until you came to this house, intending 
then to call upon you late in the evening, when 
no one would see me ; but you went out in your 
carriage, and remained so late, that I put off my 
visit until this morning. I thought that, con- 
sidering our former relations to each other, you 
would be willing to set me on my feet again." 

'' I shall be very glad indeed to do so," replied 
the Don, eagerly, ^'and you must tell me what 
you wish to do, and where you w4sh to go." 

''Well, just now I should like to go to break- 
fast, Don Juan," said Pietro, with a gaunt smile ; 
" but I have no money to pay for my meal." 

"Don't call me 'Don Juan,' my dear friend," 
said the Don. ' ' I have adopted another name 
for use in this country, and of course no one 
knows me except as Don Pedro P. L. de Morito." 

"Oh, ho! is that all there is of it?" asked 
Pietro, with a laugh. "Well, I shall remember 
in future to call you ' Don Pedro ' ; but what 
can you do for me in the way of money and 
clothes ? " 

" I will give you fifty dollars at once, and you 
can get a new outfit yourself ; then, when you 
call again to-morrow morning, we vidll talk over 
your future plans. I have a very important en- 
gagement to keep in about fifteen minutes, so I 
must ask you to excuse me now. " 

"But I can't get any respectable suit of clothes 
and underclothing for fifty dollars," replied 
Pietro. 



*210 A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 



(C 



Well, here are fifty dollars," said the Don 
handing a roll of bills to Pietro, ^^and my secre- 
tary, Monsieur Lesparre, will give you an equal 
amount. You will then have enough to satisfy 
your immediate wants, and we will arrange the 
rest to-morrow." 

So saying, the Don called Monsieur Lesparre 
and introduced the stranger as Pietro Bernardi, a 
fellow-countryman in distress. The Don was 
quite pale and nervous, and though he did not 
show any marked signs of agitation, a close 
observer, like Lesparre, could readily see that his 
new visitor was anything but a welcome one. 

" I wish you to give Senor Bernai'di fifty dol- 
lars, Monsieur Lesparre," said the Don, *^and 
order breakfast for him here, if he wishes it. I 
am going out immediately, as I see the carriage 
is waiting for me, but I shall return at lunch- 
time. Au revoir, gentlemen ; call about nine 
o'clock to-morrow, Pietro." 

The Don then went to his carriage, and Pietro 
followed Lesparre to his business-room, where he 
received an additional fifty dollars. Pietro 
quickly stowed the money away in his pocket, 
and walked abruptly out of the house, saying: 

'^I'll not trouble you to prepare breakfast for 
me, as I can get it down town just as well." 

The moment Pietro was gone, Lesparre called 
Salter out of the closet, and sent him out on an 
errand ostensibly; of course, his real duty was to 
'' shadow "Mr. Pietro Bernardi, and report the 
occurrences of the morning to me. Salter kept 



A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 211 

his man in view until he was seated at a popular 
restaurant table, and then, knowing that some 
time would be required before the Peruvian's ap- 
petite would be satisfied, my detective hurried to 
my office, and made his report. As it would not 
be safe to detain Salter long away from his 
duties at the Morito residence, I decided to keep 
a watch upon Bernardi myself until Mr. Bangs 
could send me a man from Chicago. Having 
sent • telegram to Mr. Bangs, I went to the res- 
taurant at once, being joined by Judge Key on 
the way. Together we entered the restaurant, 
and I quickly discovered Bernardi still hngering 
over his breakfast. We each ordered a cup of 
coffee, and I informed the Judge of the new de- 
velopments in the case as brought out in the con- ^ 
versation between the Don and Bernardi. 

^' My opinion is," I said, in a tone audible only 
to the Judge, ''that this man, Bernardi, knows 
some important facts relative to the past life of 
Don Pedro, and if we can pump this information 
out of . him, we may thereby obtain valuable as- 
sistance in our endeavors to outwit the Don. 
Now it shall be my aim to learn all that this man 
knows, for it may give us the means of proceed- 
ing against Senor Morito immediately; but even 
if it should not, we may need such information 
very much. You see, it is not impossible that 
we may be forced to use threats to make him dis- 
gorge; for I shall not let him escape with his 
plunder without a struggle, even though no news 
whatever should come from Peru or England. At 



212 A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 

present, however, we will devote some time to 
this Pietro Bernardi, and see what he can tell 
us." 

The Judge fully concurred with me, and said 
that, as I might be too busy to see Senator Muir- 
head, he would call upon that gentleman and tell 
him the latest news. We accordingly sipped our 
coffee slowly until Bernardi was ready to go, and 
then I followed him at a little distance, while the 
Judge went to call upon Senator Muirhead. 

Bernardi slowly sauntered down the street, smok- 
ing a cigar, and soon reached a large retail cloth- 
ing store. I remained in the street watching the 
entrance of the store about an hour, when, as I 
expected, Bernardi came out in a neat business 
suit complete, but wearing the same old boots and 
nat. These articles were soon replaced by new 
ones, and after a bath and shave, Seiior Bernardi 
was a very different -looking person from the 
rough customer who had visited Don Pedo in the 
morning. In addition to his underclothing, linen, 
hat, boots, and suit of clothes, he purchased at a 
pawnbroker's shop some very decent jewelry, and 
he now appeared like a gentlemanly gambler, or 
a member of the Board of Trade. He did not 
conclude his business arrangements until he had 
engaged a boarding-place and bought a trunk, 
which was sent to his lodgings. He then ap- 
peared to have relieved his mind of all care, and 
he spent the afternoon playing pool and bilUards 
in a fashionable saloon. After dining at a res- 
taurant, he went to a minstrel entertainment, 



A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 213 

after which he returned to his lodgings to retire 
for the night. When I went to bed at eleven 
o'clock, after having followed Bernardi most of 
the day, I realized that the duties of a faithful 
*^ shadow" were sometimes excessively wearying. 

The next morning, however, I found that a Mr. 
Newton had arrived from Chicago in response to 
my telegram, and I was thus relieved from any 
further anxiety. He was a cool, shrewd fellow, 
of attractive appearance and pleasing manners, 
so that he was peculiarly fitted to obtain the con- 
fidence of a man like Bernardi, and it was on that 
account that I had selected him for the work. 
He had no difficulty in tracking Bernardi to Don 
Pedro's residence, and having seen him admitted 
there, Newton hurried back to report to me. I 
then instructed him to follow Bernardi until he 
should have an opportunity to make his acquaint- 
ance; this could be done without difficulty in a 
drinking or billiard saloon, and he was then to 
cultivate an intimacy with him. 

On asking to see Senor Morito, Bernardi was at 
once admitted, and as soon as the Don closed his 
door, Salter slipped into the closet to listen. 

'' Ah! you are looking much better this morn- 
ing," said the Don, as he scratched a match and 
handed it to Bernardi to hght his cigar. 

'' Yes, I am feeling much better too. This 
seems quite like old times, doesn't it? As I sit 
here and puff your fragrant Havanas, I could al- 
most imagine you were again in the real estate 
business in Peru. Ha! ha! that was a specula- 
tion that paid well, eh ? " 



214: A MYSTERIOUS STRANaER. 

^'PietrOj you must be careful not to drop a 
hint of those times to any one, or I should be 
ruined," rephed the Don; "I am in good society 
here, and I hope to make a little money out of a 
scheme I have on hand; but it is still quite 
uncertain whether I shall succeed, and my 
expenses in engineering the affair are fast eating 
up all my capital. Now, I shall be happy to 
assist you as far as I can, but it will be on condi- 
tion that you leave town; for if you should get 
tipsy and begin to talk about me, I should lose 
everything. Next month, I may realize my 
hopes, but I am playing a risky game, and I can- 
not afford to jeopardize it. What do you want ? 
Tell me how I can serve you, and how much 
money you need, and if I can help you, I will 
gladly do so." 

^'That is fair enough, Don Juan — Pedro, I 
mean — I only want a start, and I shall get along 
without any difficulty; but to i^U the truth, I 
don't know where to go. I could not return to 
Peru — neither could you, for that matter — and I 
know of only one place where I could succeed 
and be satisfied to stay. I have been thinking of 
going to Buenos Ayres, if I could have a fair sum 
to start me in good style on arriving there; but 
it is a long journey, and I am in no haste to start. 
By the way, where is your present seiiorita ? or 
are you really married as you said? Is she as 
handsome as the other was ?" 

'' Yes, she is very handsome," replied the Don, 
curtly; ''but she knows nothing about my his- 



A MYSTEEIOUS STRANGER. 215 

tory previous to our meeting, and I do not wish 
that she should ; so let us leave her out of our 
discussion. I have some money left, though it is 
decreasing rapidly, and I will assist you as far as 
possible, if you will leave Gloster at once ; for I 
am afraid that you will begin drinking to excess 
again, and you know that when you are half 
drunk there is nothing in the world you will not 
tell. How much do you want ? " 

" Oh ! Don Pedro, you need not fear that I 
shall betray you ; but I can't start off on a long 
journey so soon after the fatigue and hardship I 
have undergone during the last month. Just let 
me have three or four hundred dollars to enable 
me to live in good style for a w^eek or two, and 
to get some better jewelry than this cheap stuff, 
and I will be ready to start for Buenos Ayres as 
soon as you wish." 

'' Well, I will give you three hundred dollars 
now, and as soon as you have spent that, you 
must be ready to leave Gloster on your way out 
of the United States." 

So saying, the Don stepped to his dressing- 
case, opened and then closed a drawer, and said : 

'^ There are three rouleaux of gold pieces, each 
containing one hundred dollars. When that is 
gone, I will buy your ticket to Buenos Ayres or 
Montevideo, as you prefer, and will give you as 
much money as I can possibly spare ; you must 
be prepared to go then." 

'' AU right, my dear Pedro," replied Bernardi, 
rising to go; ^' I shall be ready at that time. You 



216 A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 

can trust my discretion, however, as long as I 
stay here, and no one shall ever hear a word 
from me to your discredit. I may call to see you 
occasionally? " 

^^ Oh! certainly; come in the forenoon. By the 
way, Pietro, let me caution you against gambhng 
while you are here, for I have found that we are 
no match for these Northern gamblers. They 
will take every dollar from you if you venture to 
stake against them. You will surely lose, and 
then you will want me to supply you again; but 
I tell you frankly I will not do it. I have hardly 
money enough to carry through my scheme, and 
if you choose to betray me, you can do so, but it 
won't do you any good whatever; whereas, if you 
are faithful to me, I can spare you a reasonable 
sum to start you afresh in Buenos Ayres." 

''Never fear, Don Pedro, I shall be mute as an 
oyster," and so saying, Bernardi took his leave. 

The foregoing conversation had taken place in 
the Don's dressing-room, so that Salter had no 
difficulty in hearing every word, even when the 
speakers dropped their voices to mere whispers; 
but there was another listener in the Don's bed- 
chamber who was equally successful in overhear- 
ing all that had been said. The Donna, having 
heard of the arrival of this mysterious Pietro 
Bernardi the day before, was anxious to know 
who he was and what he came for. Accordingly, 
she placed herself at the keyhole of their cham- 
ber door leading into the Don's dressing-room, 
and when Pietro had gone, she entered the Don's 
presence. 



A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 21Y 

''Who was that person, Don Pedro?" she 
asked, with a sharp tone to her voice, foreboding 
no good to her already nervous and irritated 

spouse. 

''Oh! his name is Pietro Bernardi, and I for- 
merly knew him in Peru. He was quite a fine 
young fellow then, but he has taken to gam- 
bhng, drinking, and general dissipation, so that it 
is very unpleasant to have him turn up here as 
an acquaintance." 

" Is that the only reason why you dislike to see 
him, Senor Morito?" asked the Donna, her man- 
ner becoming more clearly inquisitive and hos- 
tile. " You are too anxious to get rid of him for 
that to be the sole cause of your annoyance at his 
presence." 

"Well, my dear Lucia, the fact is, that he 
knows enough about me in the past to be a very 
dangerous person to have around just now, for 
he might expose me to the people here, and ruin 
our schemes upon the Diamond Company." 

" Why did you not tell me about this ? There 
must be no secrets which I do not share, for I do 
not intend to be deserted by you as you have de- 
serted others before. No, no, Don Pedro," she 
continued, passionately, " I heard every word of 
your conversation with this man, and you must 
understand that you cannot treat me like a doll, 
to be thrown away when you are tired of me. 
I am able and anxious to help you in all your 
plans, but I must have your full confidence. You 
know that I love you, and you say that you re- 
10 



<¥ 



218 A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 

turn my love, but sometimes I distrust you. You 
deserted a senorita in Lima, and some day you 
may try to desert me; but I warn you that I 
would follow you to the ends of the earth, and I 
could easily find it in my heart to kill you if you 
played me false." 

As the Donna uttered these words, her deter- 
mined tones clearly showed that she would have 
no hesitation in executing her threat. The Don 
had no reply to offer, and finally the Donna 
closed the conversation by saying: 

'' This is our first approach to a quarrel, and I 
hope it will be the last. You know that I am 
fearfully excited by any suggestion of the possi- 
bility of losing you, and this man's words and 
sneers have made me almost beside myself. But 
recollect, I am not without friends, for there are 
plenty of rich men here who would be delighted 
to obey my lightest whims if I would permit 
them, and if you should ever desert me, I would 
tell all I know of you, and invoke their aid to 
bring you to punishment. Now let us go along 
together, without any secrets apart from each 
other in the future, and we shall have no occa- 
sion to quarrel again." 

The Donna then left the room, and went out to 
drive with Madame Sevier, leaving the Don 
alone. Salter quickly slipped downstairs, but 
was summoned back by the ringing of the Don's 
bell. On entering the dressing-room, Salter found 
his employer seated in a large easy-chair, looking 
quite pale and agitated. 



PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 219 

"I wish you would bring me a decanter of 
brandy and a glass, George," said the Don; "I 
don't feel very well, and I think a sip of cognac 
will do me good." 

Salter obeyed orders, and then went to Le- 
sparre's room to report the conversations which 
he had overheard while concealed in the closet. 
Lesparre soon went into the Don's room to talk 
over the plans for the fete, but Don Pedro was in 
low spirits, and did not care to converse. He or- 
dered his horse to be brought to the door, and 
was soon galloping down the avenue as a relief 
to his depressed nerves. Lesparre immediately 
came to my office, reported what Salter had told 
him, and then went about his duty of preparing 
the island to receive the guests on the day of the 
fete. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Fietro Bernardi and the Detective become Warm 
Friends. — A ''Tete-d-Tete'^ worth One Thousand 
Dollars. 

"TTT"HEN Pietro Bernardi left the Morito resi- 
W dence, he sa,untered down town in a 
leisurely manner, with Newton carefully follow- 
ing at a safe distance. Bernardi was evidently 
vain of his personal appearance, for he was dis- 
satisfied with his ready-made outfit, and, enter- 



220 PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 

ing a fashionable tailoring establishment, he was 
measured for a complete suit of clothes. The 
rest of the forenoon was spent in buying shirts, 
underclothing, trinkets, and toilet articles of quite 
an expensive character. After a hasty lunch at 
a restaurant, Bernardi walked to the post-office, 
where he met a man whose appearance indicated 
unmistakably the professional gambler. They 
seemed to be old acquaintances, and, after taking 
a drink together, they conversed for some time 
in low tones. Finally they separated, and Ber- 
nardi went to his lodgings. About six o'clock he 
reappeared, and Newton followed him to the 
post-office again, where the gambler, who was 
waiting in the morning, was met apparently by 
appointment. The two men walked a short dis- 
tance together, and then disappeared up a stair- 
way, which, Newton was certain, led to gambling 
rooms. He waited outside nearly an hour unde- 
cided what to do, but at length he went upstairs 
among a crowd of young sports, who seemed to 
know the ways of the place, and he was allowed 
to pass in with them unquestioned. He found 
Bernardi just rising from the dinner-table, which 
the proprietors of the gambling house were in 
the habit of setting for their regular patrons. 
The faro-table was in full blast, and Bernardi 
was soon seated at it with the air of an old 
habitue. He was thenceforward so deeply inter- 
ested in the game as to pay no attention to any- 
thing else, and, as he was unusually lucky^ his 
pile of gold pieces rapidly increased. Newton 



PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 221 

took a position at his elbow and watched the 
game in silence for some minutes. At length, 
seeing Bernardi win a large stake, he said in a 
familiar tone : 

'' You are unusually lucky to-night, and I see 
you play for all the game is worth." 

Keeping his eyes intently fastened upon the 
dealer's box, Bernardi rephed carelessly: 

'' Yes, this is a game where a man must put 
down his money freely if he wants to win." 

The next turn of the cards was doubly lucky 
for Bernardi, and, as he raked in his winnings, 
he glanced up at Newton, scanned his face a mo- 
ment, and said: 

'' I think I have met you in New Orleans, have 

I not ? " 

'' Very likely, for I have often been there; but 
I do not recall your name, though your face is 
quite familiar to me." 

'' Why, certainly," continued Bernardi, appa- 
rently quite pleased at the idea of meeting an old 
New Orleans acquaintance; "my name is Pietro 
Bernardi, and I have often seen you in the rooms 
of French Joe on Magazine street." 

"Oh! yes, I used to go there a good deal, and 
we must have met frequently. Let us take some- 
thing for old acquaintance' sake." 

This was taking a short cut to Bernardi's friend- 
ship, and as the two stood before the sideboard 
choking glasses together, a stranger would have 
supposed them to be old cronies, as indeed Ber- 
nardi actually behoved to be the case. Newton 



222 PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 

instantly saw that Bernardi's frequent drinks dur- 
ing the day and his later potations in the evening 
had rendered him somewhat intoxicated; he was 
not drunk, for he had a perfect comprehension of 
his actions, but he had drunk enough to be very 
happy, and he probably saw in Newton's face a 
hazy resemblance to some one he had known 
in New Orleans. He soon returned to the faro- 
table, and, taking his seat, asked Newton whether 
he intended to do any betting. 

^' No, not to-night," Newton replied, yawning. 
''I am very tired and restless, and I make it a 
rule never to bet when my nerves are shaky." 

"Well, that is a mighty good rule," said Ber- 
nardi, as he put out a pile of gold pieces. "If 
you will only stick to that plan, you will be sure 
to win. I can always feel when luck is with me, 
and if I could only make up my mind to stop 
when I laiow that I cannot win, I should be as 
successful as could be wished; but sometimes I 
get obstinate when the cards begin to run against 
me, and then I buck against fate until I lose all. " 

Having an absorbing interest in the game, Ber- 
nardi talked very little after this, but about eleven 
o'clock he counted his winnings, and, finding that 
they amounted to more than two hiuidred dol- 
lars, he decided to withdraw. In company with 
Newton, therefore, he left the room, and entered 
a bar-room below. They dranli and chatted to- 
gether a short time, and then separated, Bernard] 
going to a well-known house of ill-repute, while 
Newton carefully dogged his footsteps unseen. 



PIETBO AND THE DETECTIVE. 223 

Knowing that Bernard! intended to spend the 
night where he v/as, Ne^rton returned to liis own 
lodgings. They had agreed to meet at the post- 
office about eleven o'clock next day, and Newton 
knew that his services would not be required be- 
fore that hour. 

About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, Newton 
and Bernardi met at the post-office, as agreed, 
and, after a morning dram together, they went 
to a restaurant for breakfast. 

''How did you enjoy yourself yesterday even- 
ing ? " asked Newton, as they were finishing their 
meal. 

"Oh! very well indeed. I met a young lady 
whom I used to know in New Orleans, and she 
was very lovely ; but I shall never meet one like 
my senorita. She was the most beautiful woman 
living ; " and, as he spoke, Bernardi sighed deeply, 
and became moody, silent, and abstracted. 

"Yes; I recollect having seen her with you 
once in New Orleans," replied New^ton, on a ven- 
ture; " is she dead ?" 

"No, her! I wish she was," replied 

Bernardi, savagely. " She started to come North 
with me, and I gave her everything she could ask; 
but when I had won a large sum of money at Nat- 
chez, she stole several thousand dollars from me, 
and disappeared with a Mississippi gambler, whom 
she had never seen but twice. I didn't care for 
the money, but I loved her passionately, and I 
cannot think of her without becoming enraged. 



224 PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 

Come, let us go get some brandy ; I always have 
to drink when I think of her." 

While they were drinking together, Newton 
asked Bernard! if he was always fortunate in 
gaming. 

^^Oh! no, indeed; why, less than a week ago I 
had not a cent to buy my breakfast, and I did not 
know whether to enlist in the army or commit 
suicide." 

"Then your present success is marvelous, for 
you must have won, in all, four or five hundred 
dollars,'' said Newton, inquiringly. 

" No, I did not win it all ; in fact, I could not 
have done so, for I did not have a dime to start 
with ; but I met an old friend here who gave me 
a few hundreds, and who will give me more 
when I want it." 

''That's the kind of a friend to have," said 
Newton, warmly; "come, let us drink again to 
his health. I wish I had met you before, for I 
would have been glad to divide with you. We 
ought always to stand by each other, especially 
we Southerners, among these Yankee gamblers." 

"Yes, that is true," replied Bernardi, taking 
an immense drink of brandy ; " they are not so 
generous to each other as we are down South. 
Now, my friend, whom I spoke of, is one of the 
right sort. He gave me enough for a new 
outfit, and has promised to give me a good sum 
when I am ready to go South again. " 

" Is he a Southerner too ? " asked Newton. 

" Oh ! yes," Bernardi replied, " he is from Peru, 



PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 225 

where I first met him, and we have had many 
a gay time together. I used to keep a fine 
suite of gambling rooms, which he frequented, 
and he used to play with the utmost indifference 
to the results ; he always seemed equally un- 
moved whether he won or lost." 

' ' I suppose you must have been very warm 
friends," said Newton, *^ or he would not now be 
so ready to assist you ? " 

''Well, Don Juan is a very liberal fellow, I 
admit," answered Bernardi ; "but he might not 
be so generous were it not to his interest to be 
so," he continued, with a knowing wink. 

"Oh! ho! I see," replied Newton, nodding his 
head expressively. "Your friend would not care 
to have you talk about his past history, I sup- 
pose ? " 

"Exactly; he knows that I could tell some 
things about him which might spoil his pleasure 
here, and so he is anxious to keep on good terms 
with me. However, he needn't fear me as long 
as he treats me decently, for I do not wish to 
injure him, and when I am ready to go I shall 
get a good sum from him to start me in business 
elsewhere." 

"Suppose he should refuse to give you any- 
thing more, or have you arrested for blackmail- 
ing him," suggested Newton. 

"I'd hke to see him try it," Bernardi ex- 
claimed, with a volley of oaths. "I guess two 
could play at the game of swearing out warrants, 
and when the account was balanced, his impris- 
10* 



226 PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 

onment would be twenty times as long as mine. 
No, no; I have no fear that he will attempt such 
a thing." 

^'I merely spoke of it as a possibility," said 
Newton, "in order that you should be on your 
guard. A man with wealth and position might 
succeed in crushing a friendless poor man in 
spite of the latter's protestations. However, if 
any such thing should happen, you can depend 
upon it that I will work for you until you are 
released." 

" That's right, my friend," replied Bernardi, as 
he called for another drink of brandy. "If I 
should suddenly disappear without warning to 
you, don't fail to search for me everywhere, and 
I will see that you are handsomely rewarded. If 
Don Juan should attempt any treachery, I should 
have him at my mercy as soon as I should get 
free, and, together, we could squeeze a large 
sum out of him." 

Newton spent the day with Bernardi, and they 
became quite inseparable. After driving about 
the city for an hour or two, they attended a mat- 
inee performance at one of the theatres, and then 
had a long and sumptuous dinner at a fashionable 
restaurant. In the evening they went to the 
gambling-rooms where they had met the night 
before, and Bernardi was soon absorbed in the 
game of faro. His luck still clung to him, and, 
on leaving the place at midnight, he had won 
three hundred dollars more. As before, Bernardi 



PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 227 

went to enjoy the society of his New Orleans 
charmer, and Newton went to his own lodgings. 

After Newton had made his report to me, early 
the next morning, I told him to continue his in- 
timacy with Bernardi, and to pump him as thor- 
oughly as possible relative to Don Pedro's past 
history. Soon after his departure to meet Ber- 
nardi, Senator Muirhead and Judge Key entered, 
and we discussed the possibility of doing anything 
with this new witness, Pietro Bernardi. 

"Would it not be possible to frighten him into 
telling all he knows of Don Pedro? " asked the 
Senator. 

"I hardly think we could," I replied. "In the 
first place, you have no charge whatever against 
Bernardi, nor any reason to suppose that he has 
ever been a criminal anywhere; hence, how could 
we frighten him ? Moreover, he is a man of con- 
siderable nerve, and he would see that, as against 
third parties, his interests would be best served 
by supporting, instead of attacking, Don Pedro. 
No, I don't see anything to be gained as yet by 
showing our hands. Our object is to recover 
possession of the money paid to the Don for 
those bogus diamond fields, and to do that, we 
must wait until we have a sure case against him 
for his crimes committed elsewhere. " 

"I agree with you wholly,^' added Judge Key. 
"Besides, this fellow, Bernardi, knows nothing 
of the Don's forgeries and frauds except those 
committed in Peru, and as we have before shown, 
we could make no use of those accusations until 



228 PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 

we hear from Peru. Indeed, it is questionable 
how far we can proceed even then, for we have 
no extradition treaty with that country." 

''Well, I do not mind that very much," I 
replied, "for my chief dependence is upon the 
moral effect upon Don Pedro. I think that we 
can so work upon him as to obtain his consent to 
go to Peru voluntarily, rather than to be detained 
here until a requisition arrives from England. 
He knows that if he be sent to England, he will 
be transported for a long term of years; whereas, 
in Peru, he may avoid conviction altogether, or 
purchase his escape after conviction." 

' ' But can we make him give up his plunder ? " 
asked the Senator, anxiously. 

" I think we can," said I. " You see that he is 
liable to be held here for obtaining money under 
false pretenses, and during the trial the money 
could be taken by attachment. Then, even 
though he should not be convicted, the delay 
would enable us to make sure of sending him back 
to London, where a heavy sentence would un- 
doubtedly be given him. Now, by representing 
these things to him, we shall induce him to hand 
over the money voluntarily, and after that we 
shall not care whether he is taken to Great Brit- 
ain or Peru." 

" If that be the case, why not arrest him now 
and get the advices from London afterward? " 
asked the Senator, who was very anxious to 
hasten matters. 

Because we could not present a sufficient case 



ii 



PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 229 

to hold him under the prehminary examination," 
repHed Judge Key. '^ When we get official news 
of the fellow's character from Peru, we shall 
have a sure thing against him, and then I shall 
feel ready to act; but I agree with Mr. Pinkerton 
that there would be danger in overhaste. You 
see, we have him carefully watched, and there is 
no probability that he intends to make off until 
after this fete champetre ; therefore, let us wait 
for our foreign advices as long as we can, and in 
case he prepares to go before they arrive, it will 
be time enough to arrest him then." 

"How about the Donna?" asked Muirhead. 
" Do you propose to take any steps against her ? " 

"I don't see how we can," I replied. "With 
the exception of the sums she has received from 
Mather, she has obtained nothing fraudulently; 
and, as you may well suppose, we could never 
get Mather to testify against her ; so I guess we 
need not trouble ourselves to interfere with the 
lovely Donna at all." 

Our conference then broke up with the under- 
standing that we should assemble again the 
moment any new facts in the case should be 
developed. Just after the gentlemen had left, 
Madame Sevier came in and reported a scene 
between Mather and the Donna which had taken 
place the previous evening. 

The Don had remained at home entertaining 
various guests until nine o'clock. He had then 
gone out with Lesparre and several other gentle- 
men, to attend a banquet and ball given by a 



230 PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 

somi-political club at one of the hotels. The 
affair was attended by many highly respectable 
ladies, particularly by those whose husbands had 
any political aspirations, but it was not suffi- 
ciently exclusive to satisfy the Donna, and she 
remained at home. The visitors gradually drop- 
ped out until only Mr. Mather remained, and 
then Madame Sevier excused herself, on the plea 
of fatigue, in order to retire. Instead of going to 
her room, however, she hastened to the library 
and hid herself behind a statue standing in a 
deep bay window, which was heavily shrouded 
with drapery and curtains. Thus placed, she 
was completely hidden from the sight of any one 
in the library, though she had a perfect view 
herself, and she could hear every word spoken in 
the room. 

As she expected, the Donna soon entered, fol- 
lowed by Mr. Mather. The latter seemed to con- 
sider that the Donna could refuse him nothing, 
for he put his arms around her, and was about to 
kiss her, when he found her fan quickly inter- 
posed between their faces. 

''You are too free with your caresses, Sefior 
Mather," she said, coldly, slipping out of his em- 
brace, and pointing out a chair to him at some 
distance from the sofa, upon which she seated 
herself. 

Poor Mather was quite astonished, for, having 
kissed her several times before, he supposed that 
he could continue doing so whenever he wished; 
but the Donna was an expert fisher of men, and 



PIETRO AND THE DETECTIVE. 231 

she recognized the force of that old proverb, 
^^Familiarity breeds contempt;" besides, she 
wanted some more money, and she knew that 
her elderly lover would gladly purchase her kisses 
at a round price. The folly of giving them away 
gratis could not be indulged in, therefore, and 
she kept her sighing swain at a distance for a 
little time. She was too politic to give even the 
slightest hint of her object in the conversation 
which ensued, but she used every possible allure- 
ment to fascinate her victim, while she would 
allow him no liberties nor caresses. Mather 
could not fail to recollect the affectionate manner 
in which she had received his previous gifts, and 
he therefore decided to try the same policy again. 

'' I saw a beautiful camel's hair shawl to-day," 
he said, ^'and I was going to get it for you, my 
dear Lucia, but I did not know whether it would 
suit you, and so I determined to let you select 
your own gift. The shawl was worth one thou- 
sand dollars, and I made up my mind to give you 
the amount that I should have paid for it, and 
you could then exercise your own taste." 

''Oh! my dear Henry," she exclaimed, ''how 
thoughtful you are! How can I sufficiently 
thank you ? " and she made room for him on the 
sofa, as he advanced holding out a roll of bills. 

" You know how you can please me best," he 
answered, tenderly, bending over her. 

"Oh! really, Henry, you mustn't," she pro- 
tested, feebly, as he showered kisses on her cheeks 
and lips; " suppose any one should come in! " 



232 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 

As she spoke, a carriage stopped in front of the 
house, and their affectionate tete-d-tete was in- 
terrupted by the unexpected return of Lesparre, 
who, having left his watch at home, had returned 
to get it. He did not enter the parlor nor the 
library, but the Donna seemed very much agi- 
tated at the mere possibility of being detected in 
a compromising situation, and so Mather took 
his departure. The coolness with which she 
counted the money, after he had gone, was in 
striking contrast with her simulated embarrass- 
ment while he was present, and it ^vas plain 
that, having obtained the gift, she was quite glad 
to get rid of the giver. She went immediately 
to her room, and Madame Sevier then retired 
also. 



CHAPTER Vni. 

JDon Pedro anxious for Pietro PernarcWs Absence. — 
'"'■Coppering the Jack and Playing the Ace and 
Queen oj^en^ — A Gambler that could not be Bought. 
— Splendid Winoiings. — Diamond cutting Diamond. 
— Pernardi quieted, and he subsequently departs 
richer by five thousand dollars. 

AT eleven o'clock, Newton and Bernardi again 
met at the post-office, and the latter re- 
marked that he intended making a short call 
upon his wealthy friend. 

Come along with me," he said, ^^and you\^dll 



u 



r 
*» 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 233 

t 

see what a fine place he has. I shall not remain 
very long, and if you will wait for me outside, 
we can pass the day together. I hate to go 
around alone in a strange city." 

Accordingly they strolled along until they 
reached Don Pedro's house, and Newton agreed 
to remain near at hand until Bernardi should 
finish his call. Salter was on the lookout, and 
when Bernardi was admitted, he led the way to 
Don Pedro's room. The moment the door closed 
on Bernardi, Salter took his place at the auger- 
holes in the adjoining closet, and overheard the 
entire conversation, as before. 

''Well, Pietro, have you decided how soon you 
will be ready to leave town ? " asked the Don. 
''From your clothes, jewelry, and other pur- 
chases you have made, you must have used up 
most of the money I gave you, and, if so, your 
departure must take place soon; for I warn you 
again, I shall give you nothing more until you 
depart for some distant city!" 

"Well, to tell the truth," replied Bernardi, in 
an independent, indifferent manner, "I am in no 
hurry to go away just yet. You see, I have 
been very lucky since I've been here, and if I 
keep on, I guess I can repay you the amount 
you kindly loaned me." 

" Do you mean that you have been gambhng 
again? " asked the Don, in a vexed tone. 

"Yes, and I have won constantly, so that I 
don't like to change my luck by making a move 
right away. You know gamblers are supersti- 



234 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 

tious, and I have a strong feeling that it will be 
for my interest to remain here for some time 

yet." 

'' But you promised to go as soon as you felt 
able to travel," said the Don. 

^' Well, there is no hurry. I haven't done you 
any harm yet, and I don't mean to. Why are 
you so anxious to get rid of me?" 

Of course, Don Pedro's principal fear was that 
Bernardi would learn how large a sum the former 
had received for his bogus mines, and that he 
would not be satisfied to go unless he got a large 
slice of the plunder. It would not do, however, 
to excite his suspicions by appearing too desirous 
of sending him away, so the Don changed his 
tone, and said: 

' ' Oh ! I'm sure I don't want to get rid of you 
as long as you keep sober and don't talk about 
me; but you know how it is, Pietro; if you should 
get drunk and talk about me, you would tell 
everything 5^ou know, and the result Vv^ould be 
that I should have to flee the town without ac- 
complishing my object. In that case, I should 
lose not only all that I hoped to make, but also 
all the immense outlay I have made in preparing 
my scheme. If you want to go to New Orleans 
again, I will start you in a faro-bank there, and 
will come down there next winter to play with 
you; but I confess I should feel easier if you were 
out of Gloster for the present." 

''Well, I will be ready to go in a few days, if 
you insist upon it; but I don't see the necessity 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 235 

of such haste. However, I will come in again 
and talk about it before the end of the week. I 
want to win a little more before I go." 

*'How have you been betting ?" asked Morito, 
in a conciliatory manner. 

''I have been 'coppering' the jack and play- 
ing the ace and queen ' open/* and I have won 
constantly. I left them a few times and played 
other cards, but I always lost when I did so. 
Now I am going to stick to that scheme right 
along." 

''Where are you playing?" asked the Don, 
carelessly. 

" I generally go to Dave Carter's, in Mahogany 
Block, for I think he deals a 'square' game." 

"Yes, I suppose so," said Morito; "as much so 
as any of them ; but they are all sharpers here, 
and they may have been letting you win on pur- 
pose, thinking that you had a large sum in re- 
serve which they hope to catch hereafter. If 
you wrll take my advice, you will stop while you 
are ahead. You know, from your own experi- 
ence as a banker, that the 'bank' always wins 
in the end." 

' ' Well, I shall try a few more games, and then 
I shall be ready to talk with you about going 
South. I want to run my luck while it is good," 
and so saying, Bernard! rose to go. 

* These are technical terms in playing faro. The player 
meant that he was in tht habit of making one bet tliat the 
jack would be a losing card all the time, and another that 
the ace and queen would be winning cards. 



236 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 

*^A11 right, Pietro," said Don Pedro, ^'be care- 
ful not to get swindled, and to keep silent about 
me." 

The moment Bernardi was gone, the Don rang 
his bell violently, and sent for Monsieur I^esparre. 
When the latter entered the Don's room, he 
found his employer in a more disturbed and ex- 
cited condition than he had ever before indulged 
in, and evidently he meant mischief to some 
one. 

' ^ Lesparre, that fellow Bernardi, of whom I 
bpoke to you the other day, has been here 
again," burst out the Don. '' I gave him a con- 
siderable sum of money to set him on his feet 
again, for old acquaintance' sake, expecting that 
he would return to his friends in the South, or, 
at least, behave like a decent gentleman ; but he 
has returned to his old habits of gambhng and 
drinking, so that, at any moment, he may come 
here and mortify me before a party of my 
guests, or, worse still, claim me as his 'friend 
when arraigned in a police court for drunken- 
ness, etcetera. He promised to leave town as 
soon as the money I gave him was gone, and I 
was to give him then a respectable sum to start 
him in business elsewhere; but he has won con- 
siderably at the faro-table, and he is now inde- 
pendent of me, and therefore declines to keep his 
promise until he is ready." 

'' Would he go, do you think, if he should lose 
all he lias ? " asked Lesparre. 

'' Oh ! yes, indeed ; he would be forced to yield 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 237 

to my terms then, and I should give him nothing 
until he started." 

'^ How would it do to suggest to the proprietor 
of the gambling rooms that it would be doubly 
for his interest to fleece this man? I think it 
could easily be done, if the ' bank ' were so dis- 
posed." 

'^I have no doubt of it, especially as I know 
the way he intends to bet all the time," replied 
the Don, eagerly; "he ^coppers' the jack and plays 
the ace and queen 'open.' It must be a pretty 
poor dealer who cannot ' stack ' those cards, with 
such a stake in view. Suppose you drop a hint 
to Dave Carter, or to the dealer to-night, before 
Bernardi goes there." 

"I will go down at once," replied Lesparre, 
''and I will promise him three hundred dollars 
additional if he wins all that Bernardi has; that 
is not too much, is it? " 

"No, indeed!" exclaimed the Don; "I would 
gladly give five hundred, if necessary." 

Lesparre arrived at the gambling rooms about 
noon, and at that early hour no one was present 
except the proprietor and one of the dealers. 
Lesparre obtained an interview with the proprie- ■ 
tor alone, and then asked him if he would like to 
make a thousand dollars. 

"Oh! yes," he replied, in an indifferent way, 
"I should have no objection, although it would 
not be such a novelty that I need take a great 
deal of trouble about it. The ' bank ' often wins 
more than that in a single evening." 



238 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 

^'Well, there is a South American who haa 
been playing here recently, against whom I have 
a bitter grudge. He has about six hundred dol- 
lars now, most of which he has won here. He 
has one regular system of playing — ' coppering ' 
the jack and playing the ace and queen to win — 
and you can easily fix those cards so as to clean 
him out in one evening. The moment you have 
done that, I will give you five hundred dollars 
more." 

The gambler fixed a keen look upon Lesparre 
for a moment, and then replied that he was no 
gudgeon to bite such a stale bait as that. He 
added that they played a " square " game, and if a 
man won, he was welcome to his winnings; but 
that no trickery would be resorted to against any 
patron of the house. Lesparre was obliged to 
withdraw, feeling that he had made a mistake in 
pi'oposing the plan so openly. 

That evening, after a day spent in playing bil- 
liards and driving about, Bernardi and Newton 
again entered the gambhng saloon. Bernardi did 
not make any bets for some time, but stood 
watching the game in silence, apparently guess- 
ing as to the winning and losing cards to deter- 
mine whether he was in luck. Finally he bet 
fifty dollars on the ace and lost; this was followed 
by one hundred dollars on the same card, which 
again lost. He waited a few deals and then placed 
two hundred dollars on the queen to win, and one 
hundred dollars on the jack to lose. The cards 
fell as he had hoped, and gathering in his stakes 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 239 

and winnings, he began betting in earnest. His 
luck was wonderful, and as all his bets were for 
fifty dollars or more, he soon had quite a large 
sum. Presently he stopped betting, and went to 
the bar with Newton. They talked and drank 
together for some minutes, but Bernardi was not 
ready to leave just then. His winnings were al- 
ready quite sufficient to cause the proprietor to 
regard him with a considereable degree of interest, 
and when he returned to the faro -table, a seat 
was given him at once. He made no bets for 
some minutes, but at length he asked: 

^' What is your limit to-night ? " 

" Five hundred dollars," was the reply. 

Bernardi then placed four hundred dollars on 
the nine spot, and, a moment later, he was again 
a winner. He now seemed satisfied, for he pre- 
sented his ^^ chips" for payment, and received 
cash therefor. The proprietor then invited Ber- 
nardi and Newton to drink with him, and, w^hile 
standing at the sideboard, the proprietor asked 
Bernardi whether he had many acquaintances in 
the city. 

''No," replied Bernardi, ''I have very few; 
why do you ask ? " 

''Because one of them is your enemy, or else 
he was trying to play a trick on the ' bank ' this 
morning," continued the proprietor, watching 
Bernardi narrowly. "He came in about noon, 
and wanted the cards put up so that you should 
be cleaned out of all your money." 



240 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 



a 



'^The devil you say!" ejaculated Bernardi; 

why did he want to clean me out ? " 

^^ That I can't say ; but he told me that he had 
a bitter grudge against you, and that he would 
give a great deal to injure you." 

^^I do not know any one here who could say 
that of me," replied Bernardi, thoughtfully. 
''There is only one man in the city who knows 
me intimately, and I do not see why he should 
wish me to lose, even if he did hate me. Was he 
a South American, like myself ? " 

''No; he might have been a foreigner, but he 
was not dark-complexioned." 

"Well, I cannot imagine who it could have 
been," mused Bernardi ; "and I guess I need not 
be afraid of him, if he goes to work in that round- 
about way. However, I am obliged to you for 
the information, and I will take care that he does 
not drop on me unexpectedly. So-long." 

As Bernardi walked down the street with New- 
ton, he was evidently deeply abstracted, for he 
muttered to himself in Spanish, and swore at in- 
tervals in quite an excited manner. Finally, he 
said aloud: 

"I don't know what to think about this story. 
It may be that this gambler made it up to shake 
my nerves, or to cover some plot against me; but 
I have a sort of feeling that Don Juan is at the 
bottom of it. I don't fear him one bit, but I want 
to solve the mystery, and if he has been plotting 
against me, I will have my revenge upon him. 
But, no; I can't see what he could gain by it, and 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 241 

I think, perhaps, this gang despair of breaking 
my luck, and are planning to rob me by force." 

" That seems reasonable," rephed Newton, ''for 
then you would attribute the act to this unknown 
enemy, and they would escape suspicion. Still," 
he continued, anxious to lead the conversation 
back to Don Pedro as a subject, '' your first sup- 
position may be the correct one, and your pre- 
tended friend may be scheming to ruin you." 

" But why should he want me to lose money? " 
persisted Bernardi. "He knows that I should 
come to him for more, and that he would be 
obliged to give it to me." 

" Perhaps he would like to get rid of your pres- 
ence," cautiously suggested Newton; "and if you 
were penniless, he could insist upon your de- 
parture as a condition upon which alone he would 
give you money." 

" Caramba! I believe you are right, my friend," 
Bernardi exclaimed, furiously; "and if I find that 
it is so, I will make Don Juan, or Don Pedro, as 
he cans himself now, regret the day he played me 

false." 

" Don't be over-hasty," counseled Newton, "for 
the whole story may be a gambler's he after all." 

"Oh! I will investigate it carefully," an- 
swered Bernardi, "and, when I am satisfied 
about the truth of the matter, I will consult with 
you as to the best course to pursue. It is a good 
thing to have a friend to advise with, especiaUy 
among such a gang of thieves as seem to hang 
11 



242 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 

'round these rooms. Meet me to-morrow, as 
usual, and I will go see my friend again." 

The men then separated, and went to their re- 
spective lodgings for the night. 

In the morning they met, took breakfast 
together, and afterwards sauntered down to visit 
Don Pedro. As before, Bernard! was conducted 
straight to the Don's room, and Salter again sta- 
tioned himself in the closet to listen. 

" So you are still successful ? " was the first re- 
mark he heard. 

''Yes, moderately so," replied Bernardi; "but 
it is strange how cards run sometimes." 

"Well, you ought not to be astonished at any- 
thing after your long experience in gambling." 

"Oh! I'm never astonished," said Bernardi, 
who had drunk a good deal of brandy before and 
after breakfast; Vbut I was thinking how lucky 
it was that I changed my mind last night about 
playing those three cards — the jack, ace, and 
queen." 

" How so ? " asked Morito. 

"Well, if I had played the jack 'coppered,' 
and the ace and queen ' open,' last night, all the 
evening, I should have been entirely cleaned out; 
what do you think of that ? " 

' ' I think you were very lucky in having played 
elsewhere," replied the Don; "but what's the 
matter with you ? What makes you look at me 
so strangely ? " 

"I want to find out whether it was you v/ho 
sent a man to tell Dave Carter, the gambler, how 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 243 

I was playing, and to ask him to fix the cards so 
that I should lose all I had." 

Bernardi's voice was husky with liquor and 
anger, and he had evidently worked himself up 
into a great rage ; but, in spite of his partial in- 
toxication, he was very determined, and his tones 
foreboded no good-will to the Don. In a contest 
of words, however, he was no match for his op- 
ponent, and Don Pedro instantly took the most 
effectual method for quieting his visitor's sus- 
picions. 

'^My dear Pietro," he began, contemptuously, 
''I gave you credit for more common-sense than 
you seem disposed to claim for yourself. Why 
should I want you to lose ? On the contrary, I 
would like to see you win enough to start in 
business for yourself, and repay me what I have 
loaned you, for I assure you that I much prefer 
to have you spend your money than mine. I 
have none too much for my own wants, and if 
you could repay me, I should be delighted. What 
is the reason for your question ? " 

Bernardi did not reply for two or three 
minutes ; he was evidently keenly scrutinizing 
Don Pedro's face ; but at length he said : 

' ' Well, it's all right now, and I suppose I was 
wrong to suspect you; but the proprietor of the 
place where I gamble told me that some one had 
been trying to get him to play a trick on me, 
and I determined to find out who it was." 

' ' Well, Pietro, I don't think you would have 
thought of suspecting me if your head had not 



244: DIAMOKD CUTTING DIAMOND. 

been fuddled with liquor. Why can't you stop 
drinking for a month or two? " 

''What do you care about my drinking?" 
asked Bernardi, in a half -cowed manner. 

''Because Pietro drunk is a very different fel- 
low from Pietro sober; and some day you will 
let out some damaging reports about me, and 
then all hope of making anything here will be 
destroyed. If I could feel sure that you would 
remain sober, I would gladly start you in a good 
'bank' here." 

Of course, Don Pedro had no intention of doing 
anything of the kind, but he saw that Bernardi 
was in a dangerous mood, and that he must 
handle him very skillfully if he wished to get 
him to leave the city. The Don knew that to 
urge him to leave would be the surest way to 
make him stay, but that, if left to follow his 
own inclinations, he would be anxious to go 
South, where the climate and people were more 
congenial to him. Hence, Don Pedro boldly 
took the ground that he was quite willing for 
Bernardi to stay if he would only keep sober, 
and Bernardi quickly fell into the trap. 

" I don't want to start a 'bank' in this place," 
he said, "and I can't get along in this climate 
without drinking. I have been moderately suc- 
cessful here, and I am in no hurry to leave, but I 
should like to go back to New Orleans, if I could 
fit up a good place there, and deal a first-class 
game." 

"How much would you need for that pur- 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 245 

pose ? " asked the Don. '' If I can let you have it, 
I will do so, and you can stay here or go back to 
New Orleans, as you may prefer; only I shall 
make one condition: that you promise faithfully 
to drink nothing but wine while you are in this 
city, until I get ready to leave. Will three thou- 
sand dollars be enough? " 

^^ Hardly; I have won some money here, to be 
sure, but it will cost a good deal to spread a hand- 
some layout in New Orleans — as for this place, 
there are not enough gentlemen gamesters here; 
the gamblers are all trying to live on each other. 
If you wiU make it ^Ye thousand, I wiU start for 
New Orleans day after to-morrow." 

^' That is more than I ought to pay out in my 
present circumstances," said the Don, thought- 
fully; ''but I guess I can run the establishment 
on credit for about a month, and that wiU help 
me out; so if you will go to-morrow, I will give 
you five thousand when you start." 

" Done! "replied Bernardi, much gratified at 
having obtained so large a sum. ' ' I have noth- 
ing to do except to get a young lady friend to 
go with me, and she won't need a great while to 
make her preparations. So you can have the 
iQoney ready to-morrow? " 

' ' It shall be awaiting you any time that you 
call for it," answered Morito, and Bernardi then 
took his departure. 

On joining Newton, Bernardi was in high 
spirits, and he talked very freely of his intended 
plans. 



\ 



246 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 

' ' My friend convinced me that he had nothing 
to do with the trick which the gambler said some 
one tried to play upon me, and as a proof of his 
regard, he is going to give me a start in New Or- 
leans. I shall leave here to-morrow, and if you 
would hke to go in with me, we can make a pile 
of money there." 

^'I can't very well leave here for some time 
yet," said Newton, "for I have a large sum 
staked in bets on the races next month, and I 
shall have no money until they take place. I 
have a sure thing on a new horse, and I have got 
such large odds that I have put up every dollar I 
could reach. I shall clear about ten thousand 
dollars sure, and then if you are so disposed, I 
will join you in New Orleans." 

" All right, we'll do it; but then, you may lose 
everything instead of winning. I don't care to 
bet on races, myself; there are too many chances 
to deal from the bottom. " 

L^J There is no danger in this case, so you must 
let me know where I can find you, and within a 
month I will join you in the Crescent City." 

Bernardi then went to see his fair and frail 
charmer, to obtain her company on his Southern 
trip, and Newton came to my room to report. I 
instructed him to stay with Bernardi as much as 
possible while the latter remained in the city, 
and to be sure to obtain his address in New Or- 
leans. I then called upon Senator Muirhead and 
informed him of the proposed departure of Ber- 
nardi. The Senator was very anxious to detain 



DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 247 

him in some way, in order to get his testimony, 
in case we should fail to hear from England or 
Peru in time; but I was unable to suggest any 
plan for holding this man without exposing our 
whole connection with the case. Bernardi was 
evidently ready to act in good faith with Don 
Pedro, and any endeavor to retard his departure 
would be regarded by him as coming from the 
gang of gamblers from whom he had won money. 
There was no doubt but that he would keep up a 
correspondence with Newton, and we should thus 
know where to find him in case his presence 
should be needed. We decided, therefore, to let 
him go as he intended. 

Early in the evening, Bernardi and Newton 
went as usual to the gaming-rooms. There they 
met a stranger, who seemed to be a Spaniard or 
Cuban. Bernardi addressed him in Spanish, and 
after some conversation, they sat down to play. 
By some freak of luck, Bernardi continually won 
his small bets, but whenever he put out a large 
amount, he lost. The Cuban stranger had the 
same experience, and at length Bernardi rose in 
disgust and left the rooms with Newton, having 
lost about two hundred dollars. 

" Those fellows have got some kind of a ^skin- 
game' at work," he said, '^and they tried to beat 
me and that Cuban out of all our cash. I gave 
him a hint in Spanish before I came away, and I 
hope he will stop before they fleece him. Now 
let us go to the theatre. " 

They attended one of the theatres, and then 



248 DIAMOND CUTTING DIAMOND. 

had a glorious supper at Bernardi's expense after 
the performance was over. About midnight, 
they parted with mutual good wishes, and Ber- 
nardi promised to write to Newton as soon as he 
should reach New Orleans. 

The next morning Bernardi called upon Don 
Pedro and received the promised amount of five 
thousand dollars, assuring him that he should 
leave the city that afternoon. As soon as he left 
the house, the Don asked Lesparre to keep a 
watch upon Bernardi to make sure of his leaving 
according to promise. When Lesparre returned 
about three o'clock, and reported that Bernardi 
was then actually on his way to Cairo, accompa- 
nied by a young lady, the Don was overjoyed, 
and he expressed himself greatly relieved thereby. 

'^ Now we can take more interest in our fete 
champetre, and we will make it the most delight- 
ful affair ever known in this country," he said, 
exultantly. ^' When it is over, my dear Le- 
sparre, we will make a tour of the fashionable 
watering-places, and enjoy life to the full." 



** ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 249 



CHAPTER IX. 

Important Information from, the Peruvian Govern- 
ment. — Arrival in Gloster of the Peruvian Minister 
and Consul. — Ii Consultation. — ^''Robbing Peter 
to pay PauV — Mr. Pinkerton^s card is presented. — 
Juan Sanchez, I arrest you, and you are my Pris- 
oner. — 3fr. PinJcerton not ''''For Sale.'''' — A Dra- 
matic Scene. — The Bubble burst. 

SEVERAL days now sped by with no fresh de- 
velopments, and Don Pedro was almost con- 
stantly engaged in his preparations for the fete 
champetre. As the day approached, society was 
stirred to its very center, and nothing was spoken 
of save this grand event of the season. 

But four days remained before the fete, when I 
was delighted by receiving a letter from the Sec- 
retary of State for Peru, giving full particulars 
of the forgeries and frauds committed by Don 
Juan Sanchez in that country, and enclosing a 
fine portrait of the man. One glance at the pic- 
ture was sufficient to assure me of the. identity 
of Don Pedro P. L. de Morito with Don Juan 
Sanchez, and I now felt ready to act. The letter 
informed me that a Peruvian official would be 
dispatched to Gloster at once, to obtain the arrest 
of Don Pedro, though there were a great many 
difficulties in the way, owing to the lack of an 
extradition treaty. Every effort would be made, 

however, to bring him to justice, and the Peru- 
11* 



250 ^'robbing peter to pay PAUL." 

vian Minister at Washington would be instructed 
to confer with me. 

I informed Senator Muirhead and Judge Key 
of this news, and they were both much encour- 
aged at the prospect, especially as we learned 
that a Peruvian man-of-war had arrived in New 
York from Aspinwall, it being doubtless intended 
that this vessel should take the prisoner to Peru, 
in case he could be frightened into surrendering 
himself. 

The fete was to take place on Wednesday, if 
the weather should be favorable, or on the first 
pleasant day thereafter, and everything was al- 
ready in complete order for the grand occasion. 
A large and elegant steamer had been chartered 
to convey the guests to the island, and she was to 
make several trips during the day for the conven- 
ience of business men who could not go early. 
There remained nothing further to be done, ex- 
cept to pray for fine weather on the important 
day. 

On Monday morning I was told that two gen- 
tlemen were waiting to see me, on very import- 
ant business, at one of the leading hotels. I ac- 
companied the messenger, and was at once shown 
to the room of the Peruvian Minister, who was 
accompanied by the Peruvian Consul at New 
York. Before proceeding to business, I informed 
the Minister that I was acting under the instruc- 
tions of Senator Muirhead, and that I should like 
to send for that gentleman, and for my legal ad- 
viser. Judge Key. The Peruvian officials made 



^'ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 261 

no objection, and both Judge Key and the Sena- 
tor were soon with us, ready for consultation. 
As the new arrivals were tired and dusty after 
their long journey, we merely exchanged infor- 
mation relative to Don Pedro, and agreed to meet 
at ten o'clock next morning, to make plans for 
his arrest. 

At the appointed hour, we were all prompt in 
arriving at the parlor of the Minister. The latter 
and the Consul, in accordance with a suggestion 
I had made the day previous, had not mentioned 
their official rank to any one, and had remained 
as secluded as possible, in order to prevent Morito 
from knowing of their arrival in the city. 

The Minister stated that the forgeries of Don 
Juan Sanchez in Peru had been so enormous, 
amounting to more than seven hundred thousand 
dollars, that the government had taken up the 
pursuit of the criminal with unusual zeal, and no 
effort nor expense would be spared to bring him 
to justice. Unfortunately, however, in the ab- 
sence of any extradition treaty between Peru 
and the United States, the chances of securing 
Don Juan, even now that he had been discov- 
ered, were not bright; indeed, the Minister ac- 
knowledged that he saw no way of accomplish- 
ing it. 

' ' By an appeal to law, " said Judge Key, ^ ' noth- 
ing can be gained; but it is possible that my 
friend, Mr. Pinkerton, may have a plan which 
will induce Don Pedro, as he now calls himself, 
to surrender voluntarily rather than stand trial 



252 ^^ ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 

hero or in Great Britain. Let us hear your opin- 
ion, then, Mr. Pinkerton." 

^' Well, gentlemen," I replied, ^Hhis is a case 
where the greatest care must be exercised, for the 
criminal is a bold, skillful man, of good educa- 
tion and address, with, probably, a fair knowl- 
edge of his legal rights. We cannot afford to 
make any mistakes, for he would surely take ad- 
vantage of them. We must, therefore, present 
the case to him in such a way that he will be- 
lieve it to be to his interest to give himself up. 
The presence of the Peruvian man-of-war in New 
York is very fortunate, for, once under her flag, 
he cannot escape; but he must be induced to go 
on board voluntarily, or else we shall be liable to 
the charge of kidnapping." 

I then explained the method by which he had 
had swindled the citizens of Gloster, and showed 
how difficult it would be to convict him of any- 
thing, owing to the probability that his victims 
would refuse to testify against him; besides, for 
obtaining money under false pretenses, a short 
imprisonment only could be inflicted, and then he 
would be free to go where he pleased. 

^'However," I continued, ^'I think I can pre- 
sent to him his position in such a light that he 
will regard a surrender to the Peruvian author- 
ities as preferable to a long trial and detention 
here, with the possibility of being sent to Cali- 
fornia or Great Britain for trial on a more serious 
charge. When he knows that we are fully ac- 



'^ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 253 

quainted with his past career, he may be wiUing 
to accept our terms rather than to defy us." 

''Suppose, however," said the Minister, "that 
he should refuse all terms, and determine to fight 
it out?" 

'' In that case," I rephed, "we should be obliged 
to arrest him here for obtaining money under 
false pretenses, and be prepared to arrest him 
again the moment he should be set free, repeat- 
ing the operation as often as we could get differ- 
ent victims to enter complaint against him. The 
number of stockholders in this bogus company is 
quite large, so that we could easily hold him un- 
til a requisition could be obtained from California 
or England." 

"How large a sum has he in his possession 
now ? " asked the Consul. 

"About half a million dollars," replied the 
Senator. 

"Well," said the Consul, "that sum will go 
far toward reimbursing the people whom he 
swindled in Peru, so I think that Mr. Pinker- 
ton's plan is the best that can be adopted. We 
might induce him to go aboard our vessel by 
promising to use our influence to lighten his sen- 
tence, in case he makes restitution to his victims 
in Peru." 

The Consul made these remarks with a wise 
expression, as if he thought he had hit upon a 
very easy way of solving the problem. The Sen- 
ator, Judge Key, and I exchanged looks of aston- 
ishment and amusement at this cool proposal to 



254 *' ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 

take our citizens' money to reimburse the Peru- 
vians; it was a case of "robbing Peter to pay- 
Paul " which we could not appreciate. Finally, 
I said : 

"I presume that there can be no question as 
to the way to dispose of this money which Don 
Pedro has in his possession. Not one penny of 
it came from Peru, and we cannot permit any of 
it to be taken there. On arriving here Don Pedro 
had only a few thousand dollars, which he ob- 
tained in England by forgery. This sum he has 
already used up, and the only money in his pos- 
session has been obtained by the sale of his ficti- 
tious diamond fields in Peru. It would be mani- 
festly unjust to allow this money to be taken 
away, and it is our intention to obtain it at all 
hazards, whatever may become of the Don." 

" Oh ! I shall make no such claim, Mr. Pinker- 
ton," said the Minister ; "that was only a sug- 
gestion of the Consul, who did not understand 
exactly how the money referred to came into this 
man's hands. All that I care for is to get Don 
Pedro on board our vessel, and I shall be pleased 
to pay for your services in the matter. We must 
be careful, however, that there shall be no op- 
portunity to charge us with kidnapping, for we 
wish to avoid any possibility of complications 
Avith the United States ; the fellow has made us 
trouble enough already." 

"I will arrange that matter satisfactorily," I 
replied; "as for the question of payment, lam 
acting wholly in the interest of Senator Muirhead, 



'^ ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 255 

and under his instructions, so that I can accept 
nothing except from him." 

We spent an hour or two more in preparing 
papers and arranging the details of our plans, the 
conclusion being that we should make the arrest 
that evening, about seven o'clock, when there 
would be few or no visitors at Don Pedro's house. 
As I had supposed, there was no charge whatever 
against the Donna, and my only mtentions with 
regard to her were to see that she did not carry 
off any of the money belonging to the Diamond 
Company stockholders, nor assist the Don to 
escape. It was decided to send Don Pedro to 
New York immediately, in case he yielded to our 
terms, and the Donna would be at hberty to go 
or stay, as she might see fit. 

On returning to my office, I found Bangs and 
Lesparre awaiting me, and the latter said that he 
believed the Don and Donna intended to take 
flight immediately after the fete. They probably 
desired to finish their career in Gloster in a blaze 
of glory, and, as they would not be expected to 
receive visitors for two or three days after the 
fete, they would have a good start before their 
departure would become known. I told Lesparre 
to see that Madame Sevier and Salter kept a close 
watch for the remainder of the day, and in case 
any attempt should be made to remove the box 
containing Don Pedro's coin, he must send Salter 
to me instantly with the news. I also suggested 
that the servants be kept out of the way that 
evening, so that no one should know of our visit. 



256 ^* ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 

Lesparre departed to attend to his duties, and I 
remained to complete the details of my plans 
with Mr. Bangs, who had arrived from Chicago 
with two detectives, in obedience to my sum- 
mons. 

About six o'clock, Senator Muirhead and Judge 
Key arrived, and a more nervous man than the 
former I never saw. In a few minutes the Peru- 
vian Minister and Consul arrived, and we pro- 
ceeded in carriages to Don Pedro's house, the 
Senator remaining at the hotel, however. We 
left the carriages a short distance away, so as not 
to attract attention, and, while Mr. Bangs's two 
men stationed themselves to watch the house, the 
rest of my party ascended the steps and were 
admitted by Salter. 

'' The family are still at dinner," said Salter, 
*^but they are finishing the dessert, and I pre- 
sume Don Pedro will go to the billiard-room after 
dinner to smoke, as usual." 

'' Give him my card as he leaves the dining- 
room," I said, " and tell him that I am waiting 
to see him in the drawing-room." 

In a few minutes, Don Pedro and Lesparre rose 
from the table, and Salter gave my card to the 
former. 

'' Pinkerton ! Pinkerton ! I don't know any one 
of that name; do I, Lesparre ? " 

'^ Possibly it may be some gentleman having 
business with you in connection with the /e^" 
suggested Lesparre. 



iL 



*^ ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 257 

*^ Ah! very true; where is he, George ? I will 
see him at once," said the Don, unsuspectingly. 

Salter led the way to the drawing-room, where 
I alone was waiting, the rest of the party having 
waited in the vestibule. As he entered, followed 
by Lesparre, I rose and said: 

'' Juan Sanchez, I arrest you, and you are' now 
my prisoner! " and, so saying, I put my hand on 
his shoulder. 

He turned very pale, and sat down in the near- 
est chair, while Lesparre quickly brought him a 
glass of water. I then continued: 

'^ Juan Sanchez, or Jose Gomez more properly, 
we will retire to the library if you wish, as we 
may be interrupted here by the arrival of some of 
your friends, and I do not wish to expose you at 
present." 

'^ What do you mean by addressing me in this 
manner ? " he replied, trying to regain his com- 
posure. " My name is neither Sanchez nor Go- 
mez." 

''It is a long time since you have been so 
called," I answered, " but your victims in Brazil 
and Peru still retain the names in their memories 
without difficulty. I will now present to you the 
Minister of Peru and the Peruvian Consul at New 
York, both of whom have taken a lively interest 
in your past life and actions." 

Just as I spoke, the Donna and Madame Sevier 
entered, and the farmer, seeing the abject appear- 
ance of her husband, asked what was the matter. 

" Your husband is a prisoner, madam," I re- 



258 '^ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 

plied ; " and as our interview would be painful to 
you, I must ask you to withdraw for the present 
at least." 

She immediately gave an hysterical scream, 
and sank upon a divan sobbing frantically. 
Madame Sevier succeeded in quieting her some- 
what, and she remained on the scene with her 
face buried in the Madame's lap. I felt confident 
that much of her emotion was feigned, and that 
she was an attentive listener to all that took place 
about her; however, I made no objection, but re- 
quested Mr. Bangs, who was watchiilg in the hall, 
to admit the Minister and the rest of the party. 
As Mr. Bangs withdrew, the Don stepped up to 
me and said: 

''Mr. Pinkerton, I will give you five thousand 
dollars if you will leave me alone for half an 
hour." 

I smiled, and looking at my watch, said: 

"It is now seven o'clock; at ten o'clock you 
will be on your way to New York." 

' ' You can have ten thousand, if you will let 
me go; I will pay you the cash in coin imme- 
diately." 

"Your offers are useless," I rephed; "I will 
let no guilty man escape if it can be avoided." 

As I spoke, the Peruvian Minister, the Consul, 
and Judge Key entered, and we proceeded in a 
body to the library, leaving the Donna in the care 
of Madame Sevier. On the way thither, the Don 
made one more effort to appear in the role of an 
injured innocent 



''robbing peter to pay PAUL." 259 

'• I don't understand this proceeding at all," he 
said, ''and I claim my liberty. What authority 
have you for arresting me in my own house? " 

"I have the authority, and that is sufficient," 
I replied, coolly. "If you desire to be taken at 
once to jail, I have no objection to granting your 
request; but I thought, perhaps, you might first 
prefer to hear what these gentlemen have to say." 

I have arrested and have watched a great 
many criminals, but I have never seen one who, 
having carried out such an extensive scheme of 
villainy, was bo utterly broken down as this man 
was. I had feared that his nerve might be firm 
enough to answer my threats with defiance, and 
force me to bring him to trial in Gloster ; but I 
saw that there was no danger of such a misfor- 
tune; and so I stood aside while the Peruvian 
Minister addressed him. 

"Juan Sanchez," said the Minister, "I have 
come here to obtain your removal to Peru, that 
you may be tried there for your numberless 
forgeries in that country. A Peruvian war-ship is 
now in New York harbor, and you will be placed 
on board of her for transportation to Peru. Mr. 
Pinkerton's superintendent will proceed with you 
to-night." 

The Don was speechless for a moment, and 
then, glancing up, he said, in a sullen voice : 

"I want to know what I am charged with, 
and by what right you send me to Peru. I am 
entitled to a hearing, and a lawyer to defend 
me." 



260 '^ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 

''My friend, Judge Key, who is present, is a 
most able lawyer," I replied, "and you can con- 
sult with him if you wish advice; but first let 
me show you your true position. Your real 
name, Don Jose Gomez, was given you in Brazil, 
where it is remembered only to be cursed; Don 
Juan Sanchez was your name in Peru, and your 
crimes there are also well known; as Don Jose 
Michel, there are serious charges against you in 
San Francisco; Don Pedro Michel is badly wanted 
in Quito, where he would probably be shot, as 
they treat criminals there rather unceremoni- 
ously; and Don Jose Arias would undoubtedly be 
transported for life if the London detectives 
should discover his present hiding place, to say 
nothing of a lively interest which the French 
geyis d^armes take in the same person. All of 
these people are now informed that the person 
whom they wish to find is living in Gloster as 
Don Pedro P. L. de Morito, and they are at this 
moment hastening agents here to arrest him. 
By chance, the Peruvian authorities are the first 
to arrive, and they have, therefore, the happy 
privilege of making the arrest. Now, as you are 
probably aware, the Minister will have some 
difficulty in obtaining an order from Washington 
authorizing me to send you to Peru, for want of 
an extradition treaty; but while you are under 
arrest here, we can easily get warrants from 
either California, England, or France, and then 
you can take your choice between being shot by 
vigilantes in California, transported to Van 



{( 



ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 261 



Dieman's Land by England, or sent to work in the 
galleys by France. This is your present sitaa- 
tion, and I am perfectly indifferent which course 
you prefer. If you decide to go with the Peru- 
vian Minister, you must agree to do so voluntarily, 
until you are placed on board the Peruvian vessel, 
and you must make an assignment of all your 
money and property here to reimburse the people 
whom you have swindled by the sale of fictitious 
diamond-fields. If you are willing to comply 
with these conditions, you will sign all the neces- 
sary papers at once, and you will leave for New 
York to-night, before the English extradition 
writ arrives; if you refuse these conditions, 1 
shall hold you until that writ, or one from Cali- 
fornia, arrives." 

The Don was evidently in no mood for defiance; 
the knowledge of his past history which I dis- 
played had wholly cowed him, and my allusions 
to the vigilantes of California, and the galleys of 
France, made him tremble like a leaf. He knew 
perfectly well the extent of his crimes in those 
places, and, also, that my hints of his probable 
punishment were not fancy sketches. Finally, 
he asked to see me alone, but I refused to grant 
his request, knowing his object. Then he wished 
to see the Minister alone, and I again objected, 
but I accompanied the two to another room, 
where they conversed in Spanish for some time. 
The Minister told me that the Don offered the 
whole of his money and property to allow him to 
escape; but, finding his off ers useless, he agreed tc 



262 '^ ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL." 

go to Peru for trial. No pledges were made to him 
to influence his decision, though he begged so hard 
that the Minister would intercede for him with 
the authorities in Peru, that his Excellency 
finally promised, in view of the Don's consent to 
go willingly, to recommend that his punishment 
be the lightest that the law could allow. The 
Don having fully yielded to the arguments of the 
Minister and myself, nothing remained to be 
done except to obtain his signature to the papers 
which had been already prepared, and to pack 
his trunk for his journey. Lesparre and Salter 
performed the latter task while the Don was 
signing the papers, and writing out his voluntary 
agreement to deliver himself up to the Peruvian 
authorities. The most important document was 
a deed assigning his furniture, horses, carriages, 
paintings, statuary, books, and, in short, all his 
personal property, to Judge Key, to be disposed 
of at the latter's discretion, and the proceeds, 
with the large amount of cash on hand, to be ap- 
plied to repay the subscribers to the Diamond 
Company stock. In case there should not be suf- 
ficient to pay them in full, the payments should 
be made pro rata; but should there be an excess, 
such excess should be applied to the payment of 
the Don's private debts, contracted prior to that 
date. This provision was, of course, necessary to 
shut out the bills for supplies and services at the 
fete on the following day. Evidently it was too 
late to interfere with that interesting entertain- 
ment without throwing a heavy loss on many 



"robbing peter to pay PAUL." 263 

persons who could not afford to be the sufferers, 
and I saw only one way to prevent this, namely: 
to let the fete go on, and make those who danced 
pay the piper. 

When the documents had all been signed, I 
said: 

' ' Jose Gomez, you fully understand the mean- 
ing of this paper?" holding up his surrender to 
the Peruvian authorities; " it gives me power to 
convey you to New York and place you on board 
of a Peruvian vessel, using force, if necessary." 

The Don bowed his head submissively, and said 
that he so understood it. The acknowledgment 
of the deeds was then made by Judge Key, who 
was a notary public, and our success was com- 
plete. The Donna was then informed that her 
husband would be taken East that night, and she 
professed to be much affected. I told her that 
there was, no charge against her, and that she 
could go with her husband, or stay in Gloster, 
according to her own mshes. She said that she 
would go with him if Madame Sevier could ac- 
company them. I had no objection to this, and 
the two ladies retired to pack their trunks. There 
was some uncertainty in my mind whether some 
of the Don's cash might not be in the Donna's 
possession; but I felt rather confident that she 
kept her money entirely separate from his, and 
that I could trust to Madame Sevier's acutene'^s 
to discover how much the Donna had on hand. 
I was not disappointed, for, while packing, the 
Donna told the Madame that she had about nine 



264 "robbing peter to pay PAUL." 

thousand dollars, the remains of her gifts from 
Mather, but that she could secure an immense 
sum out of the iron box if she could get it open. 
I had already made the Don confess where he 
had hidden his money, and one of my detectives 
was placed to guard the box; hence, the Donna 
was disappointed in her attempts to make a raid 
on the treasury. While the packing was going 
on, I sent to the railroad depot and bought eight 
railroad tickets for the party, which was to con- 
sist of the Minister, the Consul, the Don and 
Donna, Mr. Bangs, Madame Sevier, and two of 
my men. At half -past nine o'clock the party 
was ready and the trunks were sent off. I had 
kept a close watch upon the Don until now, and 
I saw that he hoped to escape while traveling. 
When the carriages were announced, I stepped 
up to him and told him that my invariable cus- 
tom in such cases would require me to put him 
in irons to prevent any attempt at escape. 

' ' Shall you permit me to be treated in this 
manner? " he said to the Peruvian Minister. 

"You are not yet in the custody of the Peru- 
vian authorities," I replied, " and I am responsi- 
ble for your safe delivery in New York; hence I 
must take such precautions as I consider neces- 
sary. When you are on board the Peruvian ves- 
sel, the Minister can give such orders concerning 
you as he may think proper; but, until then, I 
alone have the right to determine what shall be 
done with you." 

In a moment, I had placed a hght set of 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 265 

shackles on his feet, and handcuffs on his wrists; 
he was quite submissive now, and only seemed 
anxious bo avoid observation. 

As we passed out to the carriages, the Donna 
handed me a note, addressed to Henry 0. Mather, 
and asked me to have it delivered immediately. 
I agreed to send it at once, though I sent it in 
such a manner that he should not receive it until 
the morning after the/e/e. The party arrived at 
the depot in time to secure seats together, and at 
ten o'clock the train bore them from the city. 



CHAPTER X. 

The Fete Champetre. — A Grand Carnival. — The Dls- 
appointed Married Lover. — A Vain Request. — Un- 
masked! — A Shrewd Caterer and his Humiliating 
Demands. — An Indignant Deacon. — Don Pedro 
taken to Peru in a Man-of- War, lohere he is Con- 
victed and Sentenced to Fifteen Years^ Imprison- 
ment. — But the Donna manages to Satisfy her 
Affections in a qiciet loay in New York, 

TO the great delight of hundreds of people in 
Gloster, Wednesday morning revealed all 
the indications of a pleasant day, and by noon 
the weather was so lovely that nothing could 
have been more auspicious for the grand occa- 
sion. As the hour approached for the departure 
of the steamer, carriage after carriage drew up 
at the dock to discharge its load of brilliantly- 

13 



266 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

\ dressed and masked ladies and gentlemen. The 

only person who was not completely protected 
from recognition was Monsieur Lesparre, who 
stood at the gangway to receive the guests, and 
wore a plain evening dress, with no mask. 

In order to prevent the attendance of persons 
who l:had not been invited, each guest was re- 
quired to present his or her invitation, and, as 
there were, as usual, many who had forgotten to 
bring their cards, Lesparre remained at hand to 
pass them on board, on leaving their names. 
When the hour of departure arrived, the boat 
swung out into the stream, amid the laughter 
and merry shouts of the gay revelers that 
crowded her decks, as the band flooded the air 
with music. 

At first there was some embarrassment and re- 
serve in the intercourse between the masquer- 
aders, owing to the novelty of their situation, and 
the fact that the ladies at first clung closely to 
their own little parties, with whom they had come 
and to whom they were known ; but soon this 
feeling wore off. They began to enter into the 
merry spirit of revelry which characterizes such 
entertainments in the cities of the Old World. 
The idea of personal identity began to be lost in 
the gayety of the moment, and in its place was 
substituted an identification of each person with 
the character which that person represented. The 
balmy airs of a perfect spring day wafted to them 
the sounds of country life along the shores of the 
river, and gave sensations both novel and pleas- 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 267 

ing to the gay denizens of the city, who rarely 
experienced any change from their routine of 
fashionable entertainments. During the trip by 
steamer there was much speculation as to the 
disguises worn by the Don and Donna, and though 
several persons were suspected of being the host 
and hostess, there was no sufficient way of iden- 
tifying them. 

At length the island w^as reached, and the party 
disembarked. The scene, as they took possession 
of the tents, booths, and pleasure-grounds, was 
brilliant and attractive beyond anything which 
the guests had ever witnessed. The island was 
covered with large trees, whose branches and 
foliage afforded a delightful shade. The close 
underbrush had been removed everywhere, ex- 
cept in certain ravines and other picturesque 
spots, so that the island presented a fine example 
of the beauties of landscape gardening. The fore- 
ground, at the place of land hig, was a level ex- 
panse of green turf, which had been laid there 
weeks before. This was partly arranged for 
archery grounds, while rustic seats and swings 
were to be found under every tree. A large plat- 
form, for open-air dancing, was placed at the foot 
of the first ridge from the landing, while near by 
was an enclosed dancing-hall, to be used in the 
evening. Two bands were in attendance to play 
dance music constantly, one resting while the 
other played. It was understood that dinner 
would be served, at four o'clock exactly, in a long 



268 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

dining-room near the dancing-hall, and at that 
time every one was to unmask. 

As the party spread over the grounds and be- 
gan to enjoy all the opportunities for pleasure 
afforded them, they presented a most novel ap- 
pearance. There were representatives, both male 
and female, of nearly every known nationality, 
and all the leading characters of historical and 
fictional hterature were admirably delineated. 
Of course, among such members there were 
many accidental repetitions of the same char- 
acter, but there were also instances of fac similes, 
which were intentional. This was a frequent 
cause of mistakes and embarrassing adventures, 
and often^ when a gay cavalier was talking in 
tender tones to some lovely senorita whom he be- 
lieved he knew, he would be astonished to see a 
second senorita, exactly like the first, passing un- 
concernedly by. 

The afternoon was spent in rowing, sailing, 
shooting, dancing, and flirting, and all agreed 
that they had never known a more truly delight- 
ful day. An elegant lunch w^as kept ready at all 
times in a large buffet, adjoining the dining-room, 
and all kinds of wines and liquors were served 
freely. The hour for dinner was fast approach- 
ing, and, of course, by that time, many recogni- 
tions had been made, though large numbers still 
carefully and successfully preserved their own 
secrets; some, however, had already abandoned 
their masks, still retaining the fancy costumes. 
Among these was Mr. Mather, who wandered 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 2G9 

over the island half distraught. He had vainly 
searched for the Donna all day, and had been un- 
able to enjoy anything because he could not dis- 
tinguish her. Often he had believed he had 
found her, but again and again he had discovered 
that he was mistaken; so he continued his search 
without his mask, hoping that she would make 
herself known to him. At last he approached 
Lesparre, just before four o'clock. 

^'My dear Lesparre," he asked, in imploring 
tones, ^' I beg that you will tell me how to recog- 
nize Donna Lucia. I have talked with every per- 
son who could possibly be taken for her, and I 
acknowledge that she is so perfectly disguised 
that I cannot discover her. Won't you please 
tell me how she is dressed ? " 

'^That I do not know myself," replied Le- 
sparre. ''She was very careful to keep the 
knowledge from me, for fear I might be teased 
into telling some one." 

" Well, how is the Don dressed, then ? " asked 
Mather. ''Perhaps he will tell me about the 
Donna." 

" I do not know how he is dressed, either," an- 
swered Lesparre. " He was as secret in his 
preparations as his wife." 

"What! haven't you seen him to speak to 
since the fete commenced ? " inquired Mather, in 
astonishment. 

"No, I have not seen him since last night," 
said Lesparre. "You see, the Don and I made 
all arrangements yesterday afternoon, and I 



270 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

came down to the island to superintend the plac- 
ing of the fireworks in the evening. I spent the 
night down here, and have not gone back to the 
house since I left it after dinner yesterday even- 
ing. The Don has not spoken to me to-day, and, 
for all that I know about him, he may not have 
come to his own/e^e." 

Lesparre said this in a jocular manner, as 
though he had made quite an impossible suppo- 
sition ; but Mather seemed to catch an idea from 
it. 

''By Jove! I begin to think so myself," he 
exclaimed, as if confirming a thought which had 
already occurred to him. 

Just then Judge Morgan, dressed to represent 
the Fat Boy of the Pickwick Papers, rang a large 
bell, which could be heard all over the island, 
and the guests began flocking into the dancing- 
hall, preparatory to unmasking and having a 
grand march into the dining-room. When all 
were present, the bustle and talk quieted down, 
and all looked expectantly for the Don to give 
the signal for unmasking. Several of the in- 
timate friends of the host had assembled on the 
dais at the head of the hall; and each of these 
looked at the others to see which among them 
was the Don. At last, Mather stepped forward 
and addressed the whole company: 

"Ladies and gentlemen, somewhere among us 
are the host and hostess of this, the most elegant 
entertainment ever given in Gloster; they have 
been successful not only in producing hero a 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 271 

fairy spectacle of unequaled beauty, but also in 
cflFoctually hiding themselves from discovery in 
thoir assumed characters. So far as I know, not 
any person present can state positively the dis- 
guise of either Don Pedro or Donna Lucia. Am 
I right? If any one has discovered either of 
them^ I ask him to let us all know it before the 
signal for unmasking is given." 

Mr. Mather waited a moment amid profound 
stillness, but no one replied to his request. 

''Well, now," he continued, '^'I respectfully 
call upon the Don and Donna to come forward 
to the dais, assume their rightful positions as 
host and hostess, and give the order to unmask." 

Alas! he was calling upon a pair of unfortunate 
travelers, who were then far on their way to New 
York, one in irons, and the other in tears. There 
was no answer nor movement among the gay 
masqueraders, and whispers of wonder began to 
run through the throng. 

"Oh! come, Don Pedro," said Judge Morgan, 
whose appetite called loudly to be satisfied, ' ' you 
have shown that your disguise defies discovery; 
now come forward and take your place. You 
can laugh at our dullness all you please, but don't 
keep us in suspense any longer." 

Still there was no reply, and the astonishment 
of all the guests began to assume a form of vague 
suspicion. At length, Mather again spoke up, in 
a husky voice: 

" A.S our host is so retiring, I will take the 
liberty of asking those present to unmask, and 



272 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

we shall then discover his disguise. Tap the bell, 
Morgan. " 

Judge Morgan immediately pulled the bell-rope 
three times, and, as this was the concerted signal, 
a gun was fired on board the steamer, and the 
band struck up a spirited march. The confusion 
of unmasking was quickly over, and the guests 
formed a long procession around two sides of the 
hall, preparatory to marching to dinner ; but on 
the dais the confusion only increased, as face after 
face was revealed, and neither host nor hostess 
was to be found. Eobert Harrington, Charlie Mor- 
ton, Captain and Mrs. Kerr, Alexander Mclntyre, 
Judge Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. Benson, Mr. and 
Mrs. Simon, Charles H. Sanders, wife and daugh- 
ter. Deacon Humphrey and daughter, John Pres- 
ton and family, and several others, were there, 
but not a trace could be seen of Don Pedro P. L. 
de Morito and Donna Lucia. 

"Where in the devil is the Don? "was the 
forcible manner in which Charlie Morton ex- 
pressed the sentiments of all present. 

The absence of the host and hostess could not 
fail to cause great confusion at any time, but, in 
this instance, there seemed to be a host of sus- 
picions flying about in a few minutes. Madame 
Sevier's absence was also noted, and a sort of 
panic seized every one. No movement toward 
the dining-room was made, but all stood irreso- 
lute, anxiously waiting for some one to determine 
what to do, and set them an example. Lesparre 
was sought for and questioned closely as to the 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 273 

reason for his employer's absence, but he could 
give no satisfactory answer. He told all in- 
quirers that he had not seen the Don since the 
evening previous, and that he was as ignorant of 
the cause of his absence as any one. Then 
several questions relative to the Don's pecuniary 
affairs were asked, and Lesparre told all that he 
knew. The fact that the Don had exhausted his 
bank account, and had kept all his money in his 
own possession, set a good many people to think- 
ing about the circumstances of his arrival there. 
Then the stockholders in the Diamond Company 
began to grow suspicious, and it took but a few 
minutes to put them in such a state of vague 
uneasiness, that they hardly knew what to be- 
heve of the man whom they so lately admired 
and honored. At length, a consultation was 
held among some of the more intimate friends of 
the Morito family, and it was decided to go in to 
dinner as if nothing had happened. If there had 
been any accidental detention of the Don and 
Donna, they would, of course, be desirous that 
the fete should proceed without them the same 
as if they had been present ; while if there was 
any trickery connected with their absence, there 
would be no use of waiting for them to come. 
Accordingly, the procession was again formed, 
the band struck up another march, and the party 
proceeded toward the dining-room, headed by 
Henry 0. Mather with Mrs. Simon, and Eichard 
Perkins with Miss Benson. 
But now occurred the most humihating part of 

13* 



274 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

the changed programme: Mr. George P. Wester- 
field, the caterer, refused to admit the guests to 
the dining-room unless the payment of his bill 
was guaranteed. Mr. Westerfield was a man of 
uncommon shrewdness. He had been accus- 
tomed to furnishing the suppers at the grand en- 
tertainments of the city for several years, and he 
was well acquainted with the circumstances of 
every person in the social world; hence, he had 
seen a great deal of the Don and Donna during 
their stay in the city. He had no more reason to 
suspect them of having taken flight than the 
others, but his native keenness and good judg- 
ment led him to protect himself, and he resolutely 
declined to open the dining-room doors unless his 
bill was guaranteed. An animated discussion im- 
mediately arose between Mr. Westerfield and the 
hungry guests; but nothing would induce him to 
change his resolve. He said that he was already 
out of pocket largely by the lunch he had served 
during the afternoon, and he could not afford to 
lose his dinner too. 

'' But Don Pedro will pay for everything," said 
Mr. Mather. '^ He is immensely wealthy, and he 
always pays cash promptly for all he buys." 

'^ Yes, that may have been true heretofore, but 
how do I know where Don Pedro is ? " queried the 
caterer. 

' ' Why, he is probably accidentally detained in 
Gloster," replied Mather. " I have every confi- 
dence in him, and wheii he explains his unfortu- 
nate absence to-day, those who have suspected 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 275 

him will regret their hasty remarks derogatory 
to his character." 

" Well, then, Mr. Mather," said the shrewd ca- 
terer, ' ' if you have every confidence in Don Pe- 
dro, you can give me your guarantee that I shall 
be paid in full, and then I shall be happy to serve 
the guests the same as if the Don were here." 

Mr. Mather hesitated a moment, and then re- 
fused to do anything of the kind. He was, un- 
dou])tedly, so disturbed in mind that he hardly 
knew what he was doing. If he had kept his 
wits about him, he would not have hesitated an 
instant to take the whole expense of the fete on 
his own shoulders rather than have such a scene 
occur as seemed imminent, for the sum would 
have been a mere bagatelle to him ; but he knew 
not what to think, and his suspicions ran far 
ahead of those of any other person present. He 
had on his shouldeis the whole responsibility of 
this man, Don Pedro, for he had invited him to 
Gloster, and had largely vouched for his character; 
hence, if Don Pedro should prove to be a swindler, 
a great deal of blame would fall upon Mather. 
This feeling contributed largely to confuse and 
annoy him, while his passion for the Donna was 
another cause of embarrassment. He therefore 
acted in a most nervous, uncertain way, and 
seemed quite unable to decide what to do. Mr. 
Westerfield's proposition was reasonable enough, 
and he was willing to accept the guarantee of any 
other gentleman of known responsibility ;' but 
singularly, there was not one among all who had 



276 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

been intimate with the Don who would malce him- 
self liable for the cost of the dinner ; conse-' 
quently the caterer refused to admit the throng 
into the dining-room. By this time every one was 
worked up into a state of righteous indignation. 
The apprehensions of the owners of Diamond 
Company stock were the first causes of the feel- 
ing against the Don, and the disappointing termi- 
nation of the long-anticipated fete was another 
fruitful source of bitterness. As people's appe- 
tites began to call loudly for dinner, it became 
evident that the caterer's demands must be satis- 
fied in some way, and finally it was agreed that 
the dinner should be paid for by those who par- 
took of it at the rate of ten dollars a plate. This 
amount was to include the lunch and wine al- 
ready furnished, and also all the provisions for 
dinner with the remainder of the wine provided 
under the contract with Don Pedro. Under this 
agreement, the dinner was served in the best pos- 
sible style to the long array of famished and irri- 
tated masqueraders. It was not a very cheerful 
meal, for too many of the participants were pre- 
occupied with thoughts of their possibly lost in- 
vestments in the stock of the-Diamond Company ; 
but, under the influence of excellent viands and 
good wine, there was a slight reaction in the feel- 
ings of the younger members of the party, and 
when the last course had been served, they pro- 
posed to go on with the entertainment the same 
as though nothing had happened. 

On entering the dancing-hall, therefore, the 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 277 

greater portion of the young people prepared to 
enjoy the evening in dancing; but here again an 
obstacle presented itself: the bandsmen had taken 
alarm from the action of the caterer, and they 
refused to play unless their account was settled. 
Not a note would they sound until their demands 
were satisfied, and so the gentlemen contributed, 
jointly, enough to pay them in full also. The 
troubled and annoyances of the later portion of the 
fete were soon forgotten by the greater number 
of the butterflies who formed the assembl}^, and 
as they floated off to the strains of a beautiful 
waltz, they unanimously decided to spend the 
evening in a delightful dance. 

Meantime, however, many of the more staid 
and elderly guests, having decided to go home 
immediately after dinner, had gone down to the 
steamboat landing to embark. To their aston- 
ishment they saw the steamer tied up on the 
opposite shore, her lights being just visible across 
the water. After various attempts to hail her, 
a reply was heard from a small boat, which con- 
tained the captain. He pulled in near the shore, 
and Judge Morgan, in an important tone, ordered 
him to bring hisMeamer across the river and 
convey a party back to Gloster. 

'' But who is going to pay me for the use of my 
steamer all day? " asked the captain, resting on 
his oars, within easy talking distance of the 
shore. Alas! he, also, had determined to follow 
the example of the caterer, and demand payment 
for his services before admitting the excursionists 
on board his steamer. 



278 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

''Pay you!" exclaimed the horrified Ethan 
Allen Benson, who had paid so much for his din- 
ner that his miserly soul was already repenting 
having come; ''why, Don Pedro will pay you, of 
course." 

"Well, I'd like to see him, then," said the cap- 
tain. 

An exciting conversation then ensued between 
the indignant would-be passengers and the cap- 
tain of the steamer. The latter, however, had 
all the advantage, for he knew the masqueraders 
must eventually come to his terms. 

" What do you mean by refusing to take us on 
board ? " demanded Deacon Humphrey, furiously. 
" Don't you know that we can't stay here all 
night ? " 

"I presume not," said the captain, "and I 
don't suppose you will do so; but I must have 
payment for the use of my steamer. You can pay 
me in one sum by a check, or you can pay me at 
the rate of three dollars a head: I don't care 
which you choose, only I must be paid." 

The altercation continued at some length, and 
eventually the captain said that he could not afford 
to waste coal in keeping steam up, and if they 
did not agree to his terms, he would haul fires 
and let his steamer stay where she was all night. 
This threat brought the party to his terms, and 
he was ordered to bring his steamer over. He 
refused to make more than one trip, however, 
and so the dancers were called away from the 
ballroom at the end of the first waltz, thus spoil- 



A GRAND CARNIVAL. 279 

ing their gayety almost ere it had begun. As the 
motley groups gathered on shore awaiting the 
steamer's approach, a more deeply disgusted and 
indignant assemblage Wds never known in the 
annals of good society, and curses, both openly 
and inwardly expressed against the Don, were 
numerous and bitter. As they passed over the 
gangway, the captain and clerk were at hand to 
collect fares, and no one was allowed to pass with- 
out paying cash or giving a check for the amount, 
indorsed by some well-known man of wealth 
and position. Finally, the whole sorrowful party 
was embarked, and the steamer turned her head 
toward Gloster. The excitement and continuous 
dancing, which most of those on board had in- 
dulged in during the day, had left them in a state 
of nervous and physical fatigue little calculated 
to improve their spirits, while the financial losses 
of many were matters of an intensely depressing 
influence upon them. A more ill-tempered, dis- 
appointed, and irritable cargo cannot be imagined. 
Their troubles were not ended even on their ar- 
rival at the wharf in Gloster, for, being so much 
earlier in returning than they had expected, no car- 
riages were in attendance, and the ladies were 
obliged to wait on board while their escorts went 
to the livery stables to order carriages to take 
them home. 

Thus ended the fete champetre which had been 
anticipated so fondly as a new departure in the 
social world of Gloster. In this, however, it was 
a success; for, certainly, its like had never been 



280 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

seen before, and the guests were profoundly hope- 
ful that they never should see its like again. 

The following morning the whole city was 
talking of the flight of the Peruvian adven- 
turers. Their late residence was besieged by the 
holders of Diamond Company stock, and the fact 
of their absence was then clearly established. 
The servants had been paid off by Madame Sevier 
a day or two before, and no one remained in the 
house except Lesparre. To all inquirers he gave 
the same answer as he had given at the fete : he 
was entirely ignorant of the whereabouts of the 
Don, and was as anxious as any one else to find 
him, in order to obtain his last quarter's salary, 
which was unpaid. The affair was a nine-days' 
wonder, and the mystery was still further in- 
creased in the minds of the stockholders on re- 
ceiving a note from Judge Key requesting their 
attendance at a meeting to settle their accounts 
with Don Pedro. The meeting was strictly con- 
fidential, only the actual purchasers of stock be- 
ing admitted. Judge Key explained to them that 
Don Pedro P. L. de Morito had been arrested and 
carried away for forgery and other crimes, but 
that, before going, he had assigned all his prop- 
erty to Judge Key to satisfy the claims of the 
Diamond Company stockholders. 

''But how did you induce him to surrender 
this money and property ? " was the question 
which was asked in various forms nearly a score 
of times. 

"I cannot give you any particulars," replied 



A GRAKD CARNIVAL. 281 

the Judge- " you must be satisfied to know that 
he made this assignment in due legal f orni and 
that the amount which I shall realize will pay 
your claims nearly in fuU. The slight loss which 
you will sustain wiU be serviceable as a warning 
against throwing away your money so recklessly 

hereafter." , ,r tt r\ 

The letter of Donna Lucia to Mr. Henry U. 
Mather was delivered to that gentleman early 
the day after the fete. Immediately on reading 
it he packed his trunk and took the next tram 
for New York. Meantime the party under the 
charge of Mr. Bangs arrived in New York with- 
out accident Thursday afternoon. In accordance 
with telegrams sent by the Peruvian Minister 
the captain of the Peruvian man-of-war had 
taken his vessel down into the lower harbor and 
was ready to sail at a moment's notice. A steam- 
tug was in readiness at Pier 1 to take the party 
out to the vessel, and Don Pedro was transferred 
by carriage directly from the Hudson Eiver Eail- 
road depot to the steam-tug. The party accom- 
panied him on board the man-of-war and the 
tug towed the war-ship through the Nar- 

^The Don and Donna had an affectionate and 
sorrowful parting in the cabin, and as the ship 
made sail outside the bar, the t^S dipped along- 
side- the Minister, Consul, Donna Lucia, Madame 
Sevier, and the detectives, leaving the Don in 
charge of the captain, then returned to New 
York in the tug. 



282 A GRAND CARNIVAL. 

Two days later, Mr. Mather also arrived in 
tliat city, and quickly found his way to the Don- 
na's presence. What they said to each other 
may never be known, but it is probable that 
the interview was satisfactory to both parties. 
Thenceforward the Donna lived in New York in 
the best style, though for some reason she failed 
to enter the same social circle that she had 
known before. As long, however, as she and 
Mr. Mather were contented, they considered that 
no one else need be troubled about their arrange- 
ments. How long Mr. Mather's infatuation 
lasted, I have no means of knowing, as I soon 
recalled Madame Sevier, and lost all interest in 
the affair. 

Jose Gomez was tried immediately on his arri- 
val in Peru, and was sentenced to fifteen years' 
imprisonment, but he made his- escape within 
two years from the time of his trial. His future 
career I never learned, but it is altogether prob- 
able that he pursued, during the remainder of his 
hfe, the same style of money-making (though 
perhaps on a smaller scale) as that which ren- 
dered notorious the name of Don Pedro P. L. 
de Morito. 



THE END. 



THE POISONER AND DETECTIVES. 



CHAPTER I. 

3£r. Pinkerton^ at a Water- Cure, becomes interested in a 
Goivple, one of whom subsequently causes the Detec- 
tive Ojyeration from lohich this Story is vwitten. — 
A utealthy Ship- Owner and his /Son. — The Son 
^^ found dead.^'' — A Woman that Imoios too much 
and too little by turns. — 3fr. Pinherton secured to 
solve the Mystery. — Chicago after the Great Fire. 

DUEING the summer of 1870, I was spending 
a few weeks at a water-cure for the benefit 
of my health. The place was one not widely ad- 
vertised nor generally known, and the number of 
frequenters was not large; hence, I became some- 
what acquainted with most of the visitors, and, 
as a matter of habit, noticed their traits and pe- 
culiarities with more attentiveness than a casual 
meeting would naturally warrant. Of coiu-se I 
had no idea that I ever should make any use of 
my observations, but I simply kept up a cus- 
tomary oversight upon everything about me. 
Among those whom I thus noticed was a lady, 
about forty-five years of age, and her son, who 
was about twenty-six years old. The mother, 
Mrs. E. S. Trafton, was a pleasant woman, well 
preserved, and comparatively youthful in appear- 



284 THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 

ance. She was afflicted by a rheumatic affection, 
which caused her to visit these springs for reUef ; 
and her son accompanied her partly to look after 
her comfort, and partly to obtain a vacation from 
work. He was a tall, robust young man, with 
fine physique and strong constitution, but he 
showed the effects of overwork. I always make 
a point of observing the character and habits of 
those around me, and long experience has given 
me considerable accuracy of judgment with re- 
gard to my acquaintances, even where I am not 
an intimate associate with them. The more I 
saw of Stanley D. Trafton, the more I was inter- 
ested in him. His mother was devoted to him, 
and he to her, so that they were rarely seen 
apart. 

Springville was a very quiet, dull place, and, 
aside from the invalid visitors, there was nothing 
about the society to relieve the usual monotony 
of an uninteresting country town; hence, I was 
thrown largely upon my own resources for amuse- 
ment, and I had little else to do except to observe 
the different strangers and speculate about them. 
Among them all there were none who afforded 
me a more interesting study than young Trafton, 
and, although I never formed his acquaintance, 
I began to feel that I understood his character 
quite thoroughly. 

He was about five feet ten inches in height, of 
compact, muscular buikl, full chest, stout limbs, 
and erect carriage. His complexion was clear 
and healthy, his features regular, his expression 



THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 285 

intelligent and open, and his manners were very 
frank and attractive to most people. His general 
appearance was that of an intelligent, handsome 
man, of more than ordinary ability and steady 
character. 

I learned that his father, Mr. Eichard S. 
Trafton, of Cleveland, was a wealthy ship-owner 
and merchant, and that his son attended largely 
to the purchase of grain in the West for ship- 
ment in his father's vessels. I judged that 
young Trafton was a good business man, with 
an eye to details as well as general results, and 
while he had no appearance of being small- 
minded, he did not despise economy in his 
business affairs. He did not seem hke a person 
who would spend money for mere display or 
effect; yet, neither would he deny himself the 
comforts an-d luxuries belonging to a man of his 
wealth and position in society. There was 
nothing of the profligate about him, and his 
devotion to his mother showed that he must 
have a genuine and hearty respect for the whole 
sex. 

In the course of a few weeks I left Springville, 
much improved in health, and I soon forgot all 
about Mrs. Trafton and her son, until the latter 
was brought under my notice again amid very 
tragical and sorrowful circumstances. 

Early in the winter of the following year, I 
was deeply engrossed in business, having an ac- 
cumulation of cases on hand which taxed my in- 
genuity and energies to the utmost. I therefore 



286 THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 

placed almost all of the less important operations 
in the hands of my superintendent, Mr. Francis 
Warner, though I kept a general supervisory- 
control over every case on the books of the 
Agency. One morning, as I was conversing with 
Mr. Warner, two gentlemen were admitted to my 
office by my confidential clerk^ who informed me 
that they had suspicions of foul play as the cause 
of the death of one of their friends, and they 
wished the circumstances fully investigated by 
the Agency. The gentlemen were Mr. John Up- 
dike, of Cleveland, and Captain Edward E. Dal- 
ton, a ship captain, of Buffalo, They introduced 
themselves, produced credentials and references, 
and then told me the following story: 

In November previous, Mr. Stanley D. Trafton, 
of Cleveland, left that city to go to Chicago. He 
was the son of Mr. Eichard S. Trafton, a wealthy 
shipper of Cleveland, and the father was anxious 
to keep his vessels employed. Captain Dalton 
commanded one of Mr. Trafton's schooners, and 
he expected to arrive in Chicago harbor about 
November 20. Accordingly, young Trafton was 
to meet the vessel there, and, in case she did not 
obtain a charter at a paying rate, he was to pur- 
chase a cargo of oats on his own account. He 
brought, therefore, a considerable amount of 
money and negotiable paper. He had about 
eight hundred dollars in currency, two thousand 
five hundred dollars in United States five-twenty 
bonds, and a letter from his father authorizing 
him to draw upon him for a large amount. The 



THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 287 

bonds were the usual coupon bonds of the de- 
nomina,tion of five hundred dollars each, and for- 
tunately Mr. Trafton, senior, had the numbers of 
these securities. 

Stanley Trafton arrived in Chicago November 
22, and found the schooner awaiting him. He 
tried to obtain a room in one of the hotels, but 
he soon gave this up as a hopeless task, for the 
reason that there was no hotel in the city which 
was not already crowded almost to an unsafe de- 
gree. He then took up his quarters on board the 
schooner, getting his meals at a restaurant. This 
was not at all pleasant, and he finally discovered 
a place where furnished rooms were to let near 
one of the hotels. He therefore announced to 
Captain Dalton that he had taken a room at 92 
West Madison street. They met each other every 
day, however, and at last, seeing no profit to be 
made by purchasing grain in the then condition 
of the market, Mr. Trafton informed the captain 
that he might sail for Cleveland on Friday, De- 
cember 1. On Thursday he visited the captain 
and promised to return on board again that even- 
ing; he failed to do so, however, and the schooner 
sailed next morning. 

Five days afterward. Captain Dalton received a 
dispatch, sent by a firm of commission merchants 
in Chicago, announcing that Stanley D. Trafton 
had been found dead in his bed. Mr. Updike, 
who was a warm friend of the family, and Cap- 
tain Dalton, then visited Chicago, arriving De- 
cember 8. They found the body of Mr. Trafton 



288 THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 

at the Morgue awaiting claimants, together with 
a quantity of valuables which had been in his 
possession when he died. There were two five- 
twenty bonds, one being torn in two pieces, a set 
of diamond studs, a small amount of loose change, 
and three one-hundred-dollar bills. A coroner's 
inquest had been held, and a verdict of death by 
congestion of the lungs had been rendered. 

The circumstances of young Trafton's death, 
as related by the officials in charge of the body, 
created considerable suspicion in the minds of 
Messrs. Updike and Dalton, who, therefore, pro- 
ceeded to investigate the affair. In the first 
place, they were well aware that fifteen hundred 
dollars in bonds, and nearly five hundred dollars 
in currency, were missing; secondly, they learned 
that Trafton had been found dead in bed Friday 
morning, December 1, only about eighteen hours 
after he had left Captain Dalton in perfect 
health. 

Accordingly, Mr. Updike and Captain Dalton 
visited his late lodging-place, which was kept by 
a woman named May Sanford. 

The building was a two-story frame residence, 
which, like thousands of others after the Great 
Fire, had been rearranged for business purposes. 
The lower floor was occupied as a furniture store, 
while the second floor was also partly occupied 
by business offices. A covered stairway on the 
sid(3 led to the upper story, and, while the front 
hall bedroom, the front parlor and the next 
room back, were used as offices, the rear portion 



THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 289 

was occupied by Mrs. Sanford, who rented most 
of her rooms as sleeping apartments. 

On stating their object in caUing, the two 
gentlemen were admitted to Mrs. Sanford's sit- 
ting-room, and she then gave her account of the 
circumstances connected with young Trafton's 
death. She stated that she met him first on the 
street and recognized him as an old acquaintance 
who had been intimate with her husband and 
herself when they lived in Buffalo; that he stopped 
and talked with her for a time, and, learning that 
she had furnished rooms to let, he said he would 
rent one. He stayed there five days, and, on the 
sixth, which was Thursday, November 30, he 
came to his room in the evening and complained 
of feehng unwell. He had been drinking very 
hard all the week, and she said that this evening 
he was quite drunk. He complained that he 
could not keep anything on his stomach, and 
asked Mrs. Sanford to cook something nice for 
him. Accordingly she boiled a chicken, but he 
could not eat it, and he then went to bed. Dur- 
ing the evening, she heard him snoring very 
loudly as she passed His door, but she thought 
nothing of it, and went to bed at eleven o'clock. 
About seven o'clock next morning, she knocked 
at his door, but he made no answer, and she 
pushed the door open, the bolt being a very slight 
one. She then found Mr. Trafton lying diago- 
nally across the bed, with his head hanging down 
and froth on his lips. Becoming alarmed at his 

appearance, she called in a gentleman named 
18 



290 THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON". 

Taylor G. Pratt, who occupied her back parlor as 
a real estate office and sleeping-room. Mr. Pratt 
examined the body of Mr. Trafton and told her 
that he was dead, advising her to inform the 
police authorities of the fact. She immediately 
closed the room and went to the nearest police 
station, where she reported the circumstances 
relative to the death of Mr. Trafton so far as she 
knew them, and asked what she should do with 
the body. The police sergeant promised to send 
the coroner as soon as possible to make an investi- 
gation, and she was instructed to leave the body 
and room untouched until the coroner should 
arrive. That evening an inquest was held by the 
County Physician, and a verdict of death by 
congestion of the lungs was rendered. Mrs. 
Sanford gave an account of the finding of the 
money and bonds, which exactly agreed with 
that given by the County Physician, whom she 
assisted in making search for Trafton's valuables. 
In one boot, lying under his head, they found a 
five-twenty bond for five hundred dollars and 
half of another one, the remainder of this torn 
bond being found in the right-hand pocket of his 
pantaloons. In his vest pocket were found three 
United States notes for one hundred dollars each, 
and a small quantity of loose change. A set of 
diamond studs still remained in his shirt, and, as 
the story was related by her, there was nothing 
suspicious about the affair except the suddenness 
of his death. 
Having heard all that Mrs. Sanford and the 



THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 291 

County Physician had to say on the subject, Mr. 
Updike and Captain Dalton took charge of the 
body, and shipped it to Cleveland, where they 
placed it in the hands of four experienced sur- 
geons, with instructions to make a thorough and 
careful examination as to the cause of death. 
The first thing noticed by them was an evidence 
of considerable external violence on the right 
side, over the liver, there being a large bruise, 
about the size of a saucer, apparently caused by 
a blow. The coagulation of blood beneath the 
skin showed that this injury must have been 
caused during Trafton's lifetime, but very 
shortly before his death. A similar, though 
smaller bruise, was toxmd on his thigh, while sev- 
eral bruises on the base of the neck and throat 
showed that the windpipe must have been 
severely compressed just previous to death. 
None of these marks had been noticed by the 
County Physician in making the post-mortem 
examination, and it seemed probable that he had 
first guessed at the cause of death, and then 
made only a sufficient examination to find some 
corroboration of his theory. The Cleveland sur- 
geons had great difficulty in accounting lor Traf- 
ton's death, but they were unanimous in scout- 
ing the theory of death by congestion of the 
lungs. They found the body to be healthy in 
every part, except the external bruises ; and, 
while these were not of a sufficiently serious 
character to account for the death of so robust a 
man, they could find no other cause whatever. 



292 THE SmP-O^Vl^R AND HIS SON. 

These facts, together with the disappearance of 
fifteen hundred dollars in bonds, and about five 
hundred dollars in currency, which Trafton was 
known to have had in his possession, caused his 
relatives and friends to believe that he had been 
muidered for his money, and that the murderer 
had been shrewd enough to leave a large portion 
of the plunder to allay suspicion. The trick had 
proven to be a most excellent one, for, as the 
County Physician afterward acknowledged, the 
idea of foul play never occurred to him, owing to 
the apparent lack of incentive thereto; had there 
been no money, or only a small amount, found 
on the body, he would have made a much more 
rigid examination; but no suspicion even crossed 
his mind, and he acted with the haste which 
characterized almost all operations in Chicago at 
that time. 

In order, therefore, to discover all the facts in 
the case, and to recover, if possible, the mis- 
sing money and bonds, Mr. Trafton, senior, had 
decided to put the affair in my hands for a 
thorough investigation, and Mr. Opdike and Cap- 
tain Dalton had called upon me for that purpose. 

Having heard their statement, I asked a num- 
ber of questions, which elicited the following 
additional information: 

On returning to Chicago the second time, they 
had again visited Mrs. Sanford, and found that 
she had taken every particle of furniture out of 
the room where Trafton had died. At the time 
of their call, they saw a policeman whom she 



THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 293 

called Charlie, with whom she seemed to be very 
intimate. She said that Charlie was the first 
person to see Trafton after she found he was 
dead that morning, he having been sent over by 
the sergeant as soon as she reported the fact. 
This story contradicted her former statement, 
that she first called Mr. Pratt into the room; 
moreover, the sergeant of police had told them 
that the policeman did not go to the room at. all, 
but merely took the number of the house and 
went away. 

At this interview, Mrs. Sanford gave them the 
blank power to draw upon Mr. Trafton, senior, 
saying that she had found it at the foot of the 
bed since their former visit. She also showed 
them a gold coin which she said young Trafton 
had given her as a keepsake. Both gentlemen 
recognized this coin as one which Trafton prized 
very highly for some reason, he having refused 
to part with it even to his mother; it seemed 
hardly possible that he should have given it to a 
chance acquaintance like Mrs. Sanford. 

During this conversation she claimed to have 
lent Mr. Trafton three hundred and twenty-five 
dollars, though she did not seem greatly disap- 
pointed when they refused to repay her that 
amount. Mr. Updike gave her twenty-five dol- 
lars, however, to pay for Mr. Trafton's board and 
lodging, and to recompense her for h^ trouble. 
The story that Trafton had borrowed money of 
her was absurd on its face, and she acted as if 
she hardly expected to be believed. 



294 THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 

Before coming to Chicago this time, Mr. Up- 
dike had written to Mr. T. B. Vernon, of Buffalo, 
asking for information relative to the anteced- 
ents of this Mrs. Sanford. Mr. Vernon had re- 
plied that she had a very bad reputation in Buf- 
falo, having been divorced from her husband for 
adultery, and having been arrested in March 
previous for being drunk and disorderly. She 
had a paramour at that time, named James Mc- 
Sandy, a police-station keeper, and it was sup- 
posed that he had gone West with her. 

Another circumstance had been noticed by 
Captain Dalton, which led him to believe that 
Trafton had been murdered with his clothes on, 
and afterward undressed and put to bed: the sole 
of one of his boots was covered with whitewash, 
as if it had been violently pressed and scraped 
along a wall. Now, the room where he was 
found had been newly whitewashed when they 
arrived there, so that any marks on the wall 
made by him in his struggles would be wholly 
obliterated. 

Having learned all the facts bearing upon the 
case known by my visitors, I informed them of 
my terms for conducting an investigation of this 
character, and sketched a hasty outline of my 
plan of operation. As they had already hinted 
their suspicions to a member of the city detective 
force, who was inclined to make light of them, I 
suggested that they inform him that they had 
changed their minds in the matter, having 
learned from the Cleveland physicians that death 



THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 295 

was surely caused by congestion of the lungs. 
They then took their departure, saying that they 
would lay my plan before Mr. Richard S. Trafton, 
and he would telegraph to me whether I should 
proceed with the operation. On Christmas day, 
I received a telegram from Mr. Trafton, briefly 
instructing me to proceed, and my plan was put 
in operation at once. 

Before proceeding further with the history of 
my connection with this case, it will be necessary 
to remind the reader of the anomalous condition 
of social and business affairs in Chicago at the 
time of which I write; for, without any explana- 
tion, he might have difficulty in understanding 
many things in connection with the story. 

It will be remembered that the Great Fire of 
Chicago occurred October S and 9, 1871, and this 
case was placed in my hands only about nine 
weeks afterward. At the time of Mr. Trafton's 
death, a pall of smoke hung over the city, and, at 
night, the still-smouldering heaps of coal through- 
out the "^ burned district" glowed like volcanic 
fissures, casting a weird fantastic Hght about the 
ruins, and illumining the clouds of smoke over- 
head with a ruddy glow which was visible for 
miles away. The streets were filled with dust 
and ashes, while the fumes of carbonic acid gas 
were sometimes almost stifling. To venture, at 
any time, into the w^aste of ruins, which stretched 
more than three miles in one direction, through 
the formerly richest portion of the city, was not 
a pleasant undertaking; but to make such an ex- 



296 THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 

cursion at night was attended with more hazard 
than most peaceably-disposed men would care to 
run. There were no gaslights, no sidewalks, no 
street indicators; in many places, piles of stone 
and brick were heaped in almost impassable bar- 
ricades from one side of the street to the other; 
all landmarks were gone, and the old resident 
was as liable to lose his way as the stranger. 

The city, moreover, was crowded with what 
h sometimes called "a floating population," a 
species of driftwood, or scum, gathered from 
every quarter of the globe; indeed, a large per 
centage seemed to have come straight from the 
infernal regions, with all the passions and habits 
incidental to a prolonged residence there. Hence, 
the labors of the police force were increased to 
an extent which taxed their abilities to the 
utmost, and made the task of protecting the re- 
spectable portion of the community about all that 
could be required of them; that they should be apt 
to suspect foul play, in a case where the coroner had 
no suspicions, was hardly to be expected. Besides 
this, there was nothing settled on any permanent 
foundation ; business men flitted hither and 
thither wherever they could best obtain accom* 
modations for the time being, and whence people 
came or whither they went was a matter which 
no one had time to inquire into, much less to 
investigate. 

The destruction of thousands of business blocks 
and dwellings left the city without adequate ac- 
commodations for offices and residences, even for 



THE SHIP-OWNER AND HIS SON. 297 

its own regular population; but when the rush of 
strangers swelled the aggregate nearly twenty 
percent., there seemed hardly sleeping-rooms for 
them all. Dwelling-houses by thousands were 
converted into stores, manufactories, and offices, 
until fabulous prices were offered for the merest 
closets in the vicinity of the new temporary 
business centers. Every hotel was thronged 
from the basement to the Mansard roof, and late 
arrivals were oftentimes happy if they could get 
a straw mattress on a billiard-table, or an army 
cot in a hall. 

I call especial attention to these things to ac- 
count for certain apparent anomalies in the 
action of different persons connected with this 
tragedy. For instance: a young gentleman of 
Mr. Trafton's wealth and respectability would 
never have rented a mean little room in a petty 
lodging-house, if he could have found any other 
place equally convenient to business; the County 
Physician would not have taken things so much 
for granted, if he had not been so hard at work 
and so pressed for time, owing to the immense 
army of gratuitous patients who thronged the 
offices of the County Agent and the Eehef and' 
Aid Society; the police would not have been so 
remiss in failing to examine into the death of 
Mr. Trafton, if they had not had their hands full 
of other business to an unprecedented extent ; 
and, lastly, when I came to work up the case, I 
should not have had so much difficulty in finding 
witnesses, if it had not been that people came 

13* 



298 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

and went through Chicago like the waves of the 
sea in mid-ocean, leaving no trace by which they 
could be followed or identified. 

These circumstances, combined with certain 
facts which will appear in the course of this nar- 
rative, made the task assigned me one of unusual 
difficulty. Mr. Warner was intrusted with the 
general management of the case, though he fre- 
quently consulted me in relation to it ; and, 
though we were continually working in the 
dark, we never despaired of our eventual suc- 
cess. 



CHAPTEE 11. 

The Detectives at Work. — Mrs. Sanford Described. — 
Charlie, the Policeman. — Mrs. 8anford develops 
Interest in Government Bonds. — Chicago Relief 
and Aid Benefits. — Mrs. Sanford''s Story of Traf- 
tori's Death. — A nice little Arrangement. — Mrs. 
Sanford explains to the Detective her method of 
*' Quieting People. " — Ingham '■'■Makes a Raise.'''' — 
Mrs. Sanford fears being Haunted, hut is not easily 
Frightened. 

THE day after Christmas a tall, well-built man 
called at No. 92 Madison street, and asked 
for the lady of the house. Mrs. Sanford soon 
entered the sitting-room, and the stranger said 
that, having seen the sign, "Furnished Eooms 
to Rent," he had called to engage lodgings. He 
introduced himself as John Ingham, and said 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 299 

that he ^^as a book-keeper, temporarily out of 
employment. Mrs. Sanford received him with 
great cordiaUty, and seemed much pleased to have 
him as a lodger. She said that she had no suit- 
able room just then, but that a married couple 
were about to leave, and then Mr. Ingham could 
have their room. She then showed him through 
the house. The two front rooms were occupied 
by an insurance company, and the back parlor 
was used as a real estate office and sleeping-room 
by two brothers, named Pratt. At the head of 
the stairs was a small bedroom, through which 
it was necessary to pass to obtain admission to 
the rear part of the house. The passageway 
from this bedroom to the sitting-room was made 
by partitioning off a small entry from the back 
parlor. There were four doors in this sitting- 
room: one opened from the entry; at the opposite 
side was one which opened into another entry; 
the third was adjoining this second door, and it 
opened into the large bedroom occupied by the 
married couple; the fourth door led into Mrs. 
Sanford's own room. At the end of the back 
entry was an unfurnished room and a kitchen. 
The front bedroom was occupied by two young 
women who worked in a bindery, and their ac- 
commodations could hardly have been very agree- 
able, as every one was obliged to pass through 
their room on the way to the other rooms in the 
rear. 

]\lrs. Sanford was a good-looking woman, about 
thirty -two years old. Her features were quite 



300 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

pretty, and her expression was pleasing. She 
was very plump, and her skin was smooth and 
soft. She had brown hair, a nose slightly 
retrousse, and a pleasant smile. Her eyes, how- 
ever, were a bluish gray, cold and watchful as 
those of a hawk. She might have been called 
handsome but for the effects of dissipation, 
which were plainly visible in her face. She had 
a pleasant voice, and she was naturally easy in 
her manners. If she was in a good humor, she 
could be quite fascinating; and almost any stran- 
ger, after talking with her for a few minutes, 
would feel satisfied that she had once occupied a 
social station far above that in which she was 
now placed. She had a good education, and very 
frequently she would give evidences of having had 
a wide range of really good reading. At times, 
her recitations and declamations, wholly from 
memory, were exceptionally fine, and, but for 
her two ruling passions, she might have been an 
actress of a high rank. 

She had two controlhng vices, one natural, the 
other acquired : her greed for money was inborn, 
and it seemed to absorb at times every other 
faculty; while the habit of using morphine had 
become so fastened upon her, that she could not 
shake it off. She was a most contradictory med- 
ley of compounds, however, and while her thirst 
for money seemed to overpower all other consid- 
erations with her as a general rule, on some occa 
sions she would be as wasteful and careless of 
expense as the most prodigal woman in the 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 301 

world. But when she had set her mind on the 
acquisition of any particular money or piece of 
personal property, there was no length to which 
she wo aid not go to attain her object. The mere 
sight of money seemed to act upon her with an 
effect almost of insanity, and she would then 
have no regard for consequences until after she 
had secured the coveted prize. 

It will be readily understood, of course, that 
Mr. John Ingham, usually known as Jack, was 
one of my detectives, sent to obtain lodging with 
Mrs. Sanford, to win her confidence and learn all 
that he could. 

Ingham agreed to take the large room in the 
rear, but he wanted to come immediately. Mrs. 
Sanford agreed, therefore, to make up a bed for 
him on the sofa in the sitting-room until the de- 
parture of Mr. and Mrs. Graves, who were then 
occupying the back room. Having agreed upon 
the terms, Ingham went away, promising to re- 
turn that night. Accordingly, he came in again 
about nine o'clock in the evening, and found that 
Mrs. Sanford was entertaining a poHceman. He 
was a rather good-looking fellow, and was in full 
uniform, except his star. He remained until 
nearly twelve o'clock, and when he went out, 
Mrs. Sanford followed him to the door, with 
many affectionate caresses and tender remarks. 
After he had gone, she began to converse very 
confidentially with Ingham, telling him that she 
was engaged to be married to Charhe, ike police- 
man. 



302 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

'^ Don't you think a policeman is good enough 
to marry ? " she asked. 

*^ Oh, yes ! " replied Ingham, ^^ and your Charlie 
seems to be a fine fellow." 

^' Well, he is awfully fond of me," she contin- 
ued, ' ' and .he spends all his time off duty with 
me ; but I don't know whether I care to marry 
him. What do you think about it, Mr. Ingham ? " 

'' You ought not to be in any hurry about it," 
he replied, ^ ' for you might see some one whom 
you would like better." 

'^ Oh! I have had a number of offers lately," she 
said, laughing. " I have had to work hard for a, 
living, and have saved up quite a good sum; and, 
besides that, my father sent me two thousand 
dollars a short time ago, so that I have a snug 
little fortune. But Charlie doesn't know any- 
thing about it, and I shan't tell him until after we 
are married." 

After some further conversation, she said that 
she was hungry, and wished she had some one to 
go to the nearest restaurant with. Ingham vol- 
unteered to act as her escort, and they went out 
together. While eating supper, she suddenly 
asked whether government bonds were good 
property to invest in. Ingham replied that they 
were very good indeed, since the interest was 
payable in gold, and there were no taxes to pay 
upon them. 

"Well, suppose you should lose them," she 
queried; "could any one who found them make 
use of them without being discovered? " 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 303 

'^ Yes, I think so," said Ingham. ^^ There is no 
means of learning how they came into the bear- 
er's possession." 

'^ Did you ever own any?" she inquired. 

''No, but I used to cash the coupons for my 
employer in Louisville, and I know a good deal 
about them." 

''What business were you in there ? " she asked, 
with a considerable show of interest. 

"I was bookkeeper for a wholesale liquor 
firm, and the senior partner used to put all his 
money into government bonds." 

"Why did you leave Louisville ?" she contin- 
ued, seemingly desirous of learning as much as 
possible of his history. 

" Oh ! well, I got hard up," he replied, evasive- 
ly, "and there was some mistake in my accounts 
which I couldn't explain satisfactorily, so I 
thought best to go out of town for awhile. You 
know we are all liable to mistakes when we are 
hard up." 

"Yes, indeed, I understand," she replied, in a 
satisfied tone of voice. " What are you going to 
do here ? " 

"Well, I can't tell yet. I have a small job of 
closing up a set of books for the year, and when 
that is done I shall look around for something 
else. I'm not particular what I do, if it pays 
well." 

" Perhaps you could get employment from the 
Eelief and Aid Society," she said, "and then you 
could get lots of nice things for me. This man, 



304 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

Graves, whose room you are to have, is em- 
ployed there, and he steals enough to keep the 
woman who is with him in good style." 

^^Wh3% aren't they married?" asked Ing- 
ham. 

'^ No, I don't believe they are married," she re- 
plied, '^ and I've given them notice to leave. Mr. 
Graves gets hardly any pay, but he brings her 
all kinds of presents, and she sells them to the 
pawnbrokers." 

On their return to the house, Mrs. Sanford 
made up a bed on the sofa for Ingham, and then 
went to her room. 

The day following, Ingham went down to his 
work on the South Side, and did not return until 
eight o'clock in the evening. He said that he 
knew of a chance to buy a cigar stand in one of 
the leading hotels, and that he would like to do 
it if he could raise the money. Mrs. Sanford 
seemed to have taken a great fancy to her new 
lodger, for she told him that she would assist 
him, if it did not cost too much. 

^' By the way, I was sorry you were not here 
this afternoon," she said. ^' There was a very 
pretty young lady friend of mine here, and I 
would like to have you meet her." 

'' What was her name ? ' 

^^Ida Musgrove." 

^' Have you known her long ? " 

' ' Oh ! no ; I have only lived in Chicago a few 
months. I used to live in Cleveland before I 
separated from my husband, and we had a fine 
stone-front house there." 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 305 

''How did you happen to leave your hus- 
band ? '- asked Ingham. 

'' Well, he began running after other women, 
and, though I forgave him several times, when 
he brought his mistress to Hve in the same house 
with me, I left him." 

''He must have been a very hard case to do 
such a thing as that," said Ingham, sympathiz- 
ingly. 

" Yes; and then he sold the house, promising 
to give me half if I would sign the deed ; but he 
never gave me a cent, so that I have had to work 
hard to support myself and my httle girl^ who is 
boarding at Eiverside. However, I am all right 
now, for my father sent me three thousand dol- 
lars the other day, and I shall have plenty of 
money hereafter." 

"Hadn't you any friends here who would have 
helped you? " asked Ingham. 

" No, I hardly knew any one; but I met an old 
friend from Cleveland about a month ago, and he 
died here in my house. Haven't I told you about 
that?" 

'* No, indeed ; how was it ? " 

" WeU, you see, this Mr. Trafton was a former 
lover of mine in Cleveland, and he was very rich 
and handsome. He came here last month and 
took the back room in my house. He was very 
kind to me, and wanted to marry me; but he 
drank hard for a week and began to show the 
effects of his dissipation. Finally, he came home 
one evening quite drunk, and he complained of 



306 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

feeling sick. I boiled a chicken for him, but he 
could not eat it, and he went to bed. Next 
morning he did not call me as usual, and I went 
to his door and knocked ; there was no answer, 
and so I pushed open his door. He was lying in 
bed with froth about his mouth and a ghastly 
look on his face which frightened me terribly. 
Then I called in Mr. Pratt, who roomed in the 
back parlor, and he said that Mr. Trafton was 
dead. When the coroner came, we found twenty- 
five thousand dollars in Mr. Trafton's pockets, 
besides his diamond studs and other property. 
Oh! it was a dreadful thing for me to think that 
such a handsome fellow as my Stanley should die 
in my house." 

" What was the matter with him? " asked Ing- 
ham. 

^ ' The coroner held an inquest, and a post-mor- 
tem examination showed that he died of conges- 
tion of the lungs. " 

" Did you know that he had all that money 
with him? " asked Ingham, significantly lowering 
his voice. 

'' No, I did not know it until afterward," she 
replied; ^' why do you ask? " 

"Oh! for no special reason; but," he added, in 
a determined way, "you might have helped your- 
self to some of that money and no one would 
have been the wiser. I tell you, I wouldn't have 
let such a chance as that slip." 

"Well, I know I might have taken some of it," 
she answered, thoughtfully, ' ' but I couldn't steal 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 307 

from him. Oh! I have mighty good credit 
among people here now, for every one knows 
ahout that money, and that I could have taken 
it all if I had wished. A reporter came here, and 
afterward stated in the paper that there was only 
a small amount, about fifteen hundred dollars, 
found; but I had it corrected." 

She prattled on for some time about her inti- 
macy with Mr. Traf ton, until she was interrupted 
by a noise in the hall bedroom. On going to see 
what was the matter, she found the two bindery 
girls in great excitement, as they had been 
awakened by a strange man in their room. Ing- 
ham also went to the door^ when Mrs. Sanford 
told him to get his revolver, as she wanted to 
shoot any man who should try to break into her 
rooms. No one was found, but the lower hall 
door was open, and Ingham went down to lock 
it. On his return, Mrs. Sanford said that she 
had a revolver, and that she knew how to use it 
too. It was about midnight before they retired, 
but Mrs. Sanford seemed to consider it quite an 
early hour. 

The next day Ingham was again absent mitil 
evening, and Mrs. Sanford scolded him a little for 
not staying more time with her. He replied that 
he had been out looking for a chance to make a 
raise. 

'' What kind of a raise? " she asked. 

''Oh! any kind," he replied; " I'm not particu- 
lar, provided I can get enough to pay for the 
trouble. If I knew of any good hiding place, I 



308 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

CO aid get a lot of valuable goods some night with- 
out much work, and with no danger." 

'^You can bring them here, and I will hide 
them so that they will never be found," she re- 
plied, in a whisper. 

*'That will be a pretty hard thing to do, for 
these policemen and detectives can find almost 
anything if they want to. I shouldn't hke to 
bring any plunder here and then have it found in 
your house, for you would then be punished for 
receiving stolen goods. ^ 

'' Never you fear about me; I know some sharp 
tricks if I am a woman. I can hide anything you 
l)ring, and if they get after you, I can hide you 
too." 

Ingham then told her about various criminal 
devices for obtaining money, which he had prac- 
ticed in New York several years before, and 
called her attention to the ease with which they 
might rob strangers by the ^' panel " game. She 
was very much interested, and said that she 
could easily get hold of some fellow with plenty 
of money, make him drunk, and then rob him. 

^^How I wish you had been here when Mr. 
Trafton died, for you could have got away with 
ten or fifteen thousand dollars without any diffi- 
culty whatever." 

'* Yes, it would have been a good chance," he 
replied; ^^but I guess we can do nearly as well, 
if you will be true to me and help me." 

*^ You can depend upon me for anything," she 
answered, with great determination, but adding 



' THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 309 

suddenly, in a cautious tone, ''that is, anything 
except murder, you know. I shouldn't like to do 
that. j8ut I would protect you even if you should 
kill a man— not willfully— not willfully, you un- 
derstand; but if you should be obhged to do it to 
save yourself, I should not blame you very 
much." 

''I am determined to 'make a raise,' soon," 
said Ingham; "but I don't know whether I can 
trust you." 

"How soT' she asked, as if greatly surprised. 
"I am afraid you will 'give me away' to that 
policeman whom you think so much of." 

"You need not fear anything of the kind, "she 
said, leaning forward, and speaking slowly and 
emphatically. "I can help you a great deal, and 
I would never betray you to any one. I don't 
think so much of Charhe as I pretend to." 

Soon afterward she had to go into the unfur- 
nished room to get something, and she asked 
Ingham to hold the light for her. 

" Why can't you hold it yourself ? " he asked. 
"Well, to tell the truth, I don't like to go into 
that room alone," she replied, trying to laugh in 
an unconcerned way. 

"Why not? You aren't afraid of anything, 
are you ? " 

"No, not afraid; but I have never felt Hke go- 
ing in there since Mr. Traf ton died there. I can- 
not help recollecting the way he looked when I 
first saw him hanging over the bedside, with the 
froth on his lips. I took out all the furniture on 



310 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

that account, but I am going to furnish it again 
next week, as I can get a good rent for it." 

Ingham went with her as she requested, and 
he noticed that all the time she was in the room 
overhauling a trunk containing the things she 
wanted, she was very restless and nervous. Sev- 
eral times when she heard a sudden noise she 
would start and turn pale, as if much frightened. 

Presently the two girls occupying the front 
room came in and said that they should leave 
next day, as they were afraid of a man coming 
into their room as one had done the night before. 
Mrs. Sanford was evidently not sorry to have 
them go, and they soon went to bed. 

Ingham and Mrs. Sanford then talked together 
about their plans for getting money for some 
time. Her whole mind seemed bent upon one 
object, — to obtain money ; and she seemed to 
have no scruples whatever as to the means em- 
ployed. 

^' Don't you know of any wealthy fellow who 
carries considerable money about with him ? " 
asked Ingham. 

^'Oh ! yes; I know two or three who come 
here to do business, and I expect one from Can- 
ada next week. He always has plenty of money 
with him, so that I have no doubt we could get 
a big sum out of him." 

"Does he ever drink?" he asked; "I don't 
want to tackle a sober man, if I can help it." 

''That needn't trouble you," she replied, in a 
whisper; " I can give him something to keep him 
quiet." 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 311 



u 



How can you do that ? " he inquired^ with ap- 
parent astonishment. 

She then showed him a bottle of morphine, and 
said that she always kept it for her own use, and 
that she knew how to give just enough to produce 
a deep sleep. They finally agreed to lay their 
plans together, and to make a big haul at the first 
opportunity. 

Ingham went out again on his prospecting tour 
next day, but when he returned, in the evening, 
he had not discovered any good place for a rob- 
bery. He told Mrs. Sanford, however, that he 
thought he could get a quantity of counterfeit 
money at a very low price, and that they could 
pass a great deal of it, if they were skillful. She 
hked the idea, and said that she could pass it on 
a great many people who would never recollect 
where they received it. She also said that she 
had a good place to hide it, and that some time 
she would show him where she had hidden some 
property, when the police were looking for it. 

^^Oh! how I wish you had been here when 
that man died with eighteen thousand dollars in 
bonds in his pockets!" she exclaimed. '^You 
could have helped yourself to all you wanted." 

"Yes, indeed," he replied, "I should have 
made myself rich for hfe." 

'^ But could you have disposed of the bonds 
without being suspected? " she asked. ^ ' Wouldn't 
his friends catch you if they had the numbers of 
the bonds? " 

''Oh! that wouldn't make any difference. 



312 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

There are millions of dollars afloat of these bonds, 
and they cannot be traced any more than money. " 
^^ ^^His bonds were all for five hundred dollars 
each, and they had little tickets on the end, which 
could be cut off for the interest," she said. *'I 
saw them when the coroner was examining 
them." 

^'Yes, they were undoubtedly five-twenty 
bonds, and were worth their face in gold." 

** Well, another time, if we get such a chance," 
she said, ''we will take enough to make our- 
selves comfortable, and leave the rest to remove 
suspicion." 

On the following day, Ingham returned to his 
room at Mrs. Sanford's about three o'clock in the 
afternoon, and she told him that the two girls and 
Mr. and Mrs. Graves had left. She said that she 
had a great fuss with the latter, and that they 
went away in a state of high wrath against her; 
besides this, she had had a quarrel with Charlie, 
the policeman, who had sided with Mrs. Graves 
during their quarrel. Mrs. Sanford said, further, 
that Charlie had acted very meanly in not mak- 
ing her any Christmas or New Year's present, 
and she didn't care whether he came there again 
or not. She said that Mrs. Graves had left her 
trunk to be called for, and that there was no doubt 
she had stolen some of Mrs. Sanford's towels and 
other things. She then went to the trunk, opened 
it, and took out a number of articles, which she 
said belonged to her. She took the articles into 
the kitchen, and secreted them in a hole in the 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 313 

> 

floor, where she was able to take up a board. 
Ingham thought it rather strange that she should 
hide these things, if they were her own property, 
but he said nothing on the subject to Mrs. San- 
ford. 

About five o'clock a young lady called to see 
Mrs. . Sanford, and they seemed very intimate 
with each other. When they entered the sitting- 
room, Mrs. Sanford said: 

'' Ida, let me introduce to you Mr. Ingham; this 
is Miss Ida Musgrove, Mr. Ingham." 

^' Mrs. Sanford has spoken of you in such com- 
plimentary terms, Miss Ida," said Ingham, "that 
I have been very anxious to meet you." 

''Now, how can you be so foolish, May," said 
Miss Ida, addressing Mrs. Sanford; '^you always 
talk about me so extravagantly that people are 
very much disappointed when they meet me." 

"Oh! that is quite impossible," chimed in 
Ingham. "lam sure that Mrs. Sanford hardly 
did you justice." 

' ' I see, Mr. Ingham, that you are, like all the 
rest of your sex, a great flatterer," simpered Miss 
Ida, who was evidently greatly pleased with his 
compliments, but who wished to appear too 
modest to believe him to be in earnest. 

Miss Ida was a brilliant brunette of fine fea- 
tures and figure. She was stylish and graceful 
in her appearance, and her dress showed re- 
markably good taste. She was very vivacious 
and merry, but a close observer would have 
noticed that she was not endowed with much 

14 



314 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

sentiment, and a physiognomist would have said 
that she was more interested in the size of a man's 
fortune than in his looks or powers to please. 
The three chatted together very pleasantly for 
some time, and when Miss Ida rose to go, she 
said that she hoped to have the pleasure of seeing 
Mr. Ingham again; but she did not inform him 
where she lived, and was apparently rather indif- 
ferent with regard to him. 

The next day Mrs. Sanford refurnished the 
back room where Mr. Trafton had died, and 
Ingham took the room vacated by the Graveses. 
On the same day, Mrs. Sanford missed her watch, 
and, after searching for it everywhere, she came 
to the conclusion that it had been stolen. She 
was greatly distressed about it, but she could not 
imagine who could have taken it. 

A few days after this, Ingham came hurriedly 
into the sitting-room looking as if he had been 
running hard. He found Mrs. Sanford and Miss 
Ida in the kitchen, but when the former came 
into the sitting-room, he gave her a significant 
look, and said that he had '' made a raise." Mrs. 
Sanford was highly pleased, but she had no time 
to make inquiries, as Miss Ida came in from the 
kitchen a moment later. They took supper 
together, and had a very gay time, as both Ingham 
and Mrs. Sanford were quite excited over the 
former's adventure. After Miss Ida had gone 
home, Ingham gave Mrs. Sanford ten dollars, and 
told her that he and another man had followed a 
stranger into the '' Burnt District" just at dusk, 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 315 

and while the other man choked the stranger, 
Ingham had ' ' gone through " his pockets. Owing 
to the fact that there were very few persons and 
no gas-lamps in their vicinity, they had not been 
observed in their work of robbery until they let 
the man go, when his shouts had attracted atten- 
tion. He said that some men had chased them, 
and that he had escaped by running into a lumber- 
yard, where he had hidden the greater part of 
the plunder. He said that he had obtained a roll 
of bills, but that he could not tell how much 
money there was in all, as he had not had time 
to count it. He said that he did not expect to 
get much out of it, as he would be obliged to 
divide with his partner. The day following, Ing- 
ham, on his return to the house in the evening, 
found Mrs. Sanford standing in her room fixing 
her hair, while a man stood beside her with his 
arm around her waist. The door of her room 
was open, so that Ingham could not help seeing 
them, and he did not stop, but went straight to 
his own room. Mrs. Sanford soon afterward 
came to his door and told him that the man he 
had seen was Mr. Taylor Gr. Pratt, the real estate 
agent, who occupied the back parlor; that he 
was one of her best friends, and that he wanted 
to marry her. He had been away for the holi- 
days, and had only just returned. She had told 
him that Ingham was her brother from Detroit, 
and that he was going to remain with her for 
some time. Ingham was then introduced to Mr. 
Pratt, and they talked with each other until 



316 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

supper-time. Pratt was a middle-aged man, with 
a mean-looking face and suspicious manner. 
They went to a restaurant for supper, and the 
gentlemen paid the bill equally. Pratt seemed 
to expect Mrs. Sanford to pay her share, and this 
made her angry, though she said nothing about 
the matter at the time. When alone with Ing- 
ham, however, she said that Pratt was a miserly 
cub, with no generosity whatever. She borrowed 
l^ve dollars from him, nevertheless, and then 
invented a story about having lost the money to 
escape paying it back. 

The next evening, when Ingham returned to 
his lodgings, he found Mrs. Sanford in a sad 
plight ; one eye was wholly closed and discol- 
ored, while her whole face was bruised and in- 
flamed to such an extent as to make her an un- 
pleasant object to look at. Charlie Stokes, the 
policeman, was sitting by the stove, and Mrs. 
Sanford, with her head done up in wet towels, 
was moaning on the sofa. She explained that 
Mrs. Graves had been there, and had seized her 
by the throat, beaten, scratched, and kicked her 
until she was perfectly helpless from her in- 
juries. Charlie, the policeman, was trying to 
condole with her, but he was evidently out of 
favor, for she finally told him to go out and not 
bother her any longer. 

Ingham told her that she certainly ought to 
have Mrs. Graves arrested and punished se- 
verely, and he petted her so nicely that she said 
he was her best friend, and that she would do 



THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 31Y 

anything for him. He prepared a dressing for 
her black eye, and got some supper for her, tell- 
ing her that on Monday — that day being Satur- 
day — she ought to get out a warrant for the ar- 
rest of Mrs. Graves. 

" Why didn't you hit her with the poker ? " he 
asked. 

''I did pick it up," she replied, ^'but I was 
afraid to hit her for fear I should kill her." 

"Well, it would have served her just right, 
for she had no business to attack you first." 

"I know that; but if I had killed her, just 
think how awful it would be ! Why, her ghost 
would haunt me forever after. I don't want to 
be haunted. I'm afraid now to go into the room 
where Trafton died, and 1 wouldn't go in there 
alone after dark for fifty dollars. " 

Ingham comforted her all he could, but finally 
he said that he must go out for a time, and he 
did not return until about ten o'clock. He then 
went upstairs quietly, and went to bed. Two or 
three hours later, a heavy, groaning sound was 
heard in the house. It was difficult to tell ex- 
actly whence it came, but Ingham heard Mrs. 
Sanf ord spring up and open her door. He did the 
same, and saw her listening at the half-open door. 
The groans were not exactly like those of a person 
in distress, but they resembled the efforts of some 
stage ghost in^ a blood-and-thunder drama. Sud- 
denly Mrs. Sanf ord stepped out, with her revolver 
in her hand, and began to walk toward the hall. 
He instantly overtook her, and asked her, in a 



318 THE DETECTIVES AT WORK. 

whisper, what she was going to do. She made a 
significant motion with her revolver, and again 
stopped to hsten. He then took the pistol away 
from her, saying that the noise was probably due 
to some drunken man who had got into the hall. 
He told her to go back to bed, and he would in- 
vestigate. Accordingly, he went into the hall, 
and soon Mrs. Sanford heard him dragging a 
maudlin drunken fellow downstairs. This affair 
had been arranged by me, in the hope of fright- 
ening Mrs. Sanford into making some kind of a 
confession, but she was not so easily alarmed as I 
had hoped. The door had been left open by 
Ingham on his return to the house, and another 
detective had been sent to the top of the stairs to 
make the groans. From the determined way in 
which she walked out, with her pistol in readi- 
ness, it was evident that she would not have hesi- 
tated to shoot the unfortunate ghost on sight. 

The next day Ingham showed her a fine gold 
watch, which he said he had snatched out of a 
man's pocket in a crowd. She wanted him to 
steal one for her, and he promised to do so, if 
possible, though it was more difficult to get a 
lady's watch. She then advised him to be careful 
to see that there was no private mark on the 
watch, lest he should be detected thereby. Then 
she asked whether the numbers on government 
bonds were all different. He said that there were 
different series, which were exactly alike except 
the letter, and he tried to explain the matter to 
her, but she could not understand it. She also 



A ^' FUNNY" GAME OF CARDS. 319 

wanted to know whether the bonds could be sold 
in a foreign country, and he told her yes; that 
that was the best way to sell them, if there was 
anything wrong about them. After some fur- 
ther conversation, she said she thought of going 
to Canada soon, and perhaps she would like him 
to take charge of her rooms while she was away. 



CHAPTEE III. 

The Dangerous Side of the Woman's Character. — Jir. 
Pinherton makes a neio Move. — Robert A. Pbik- 
erton as Adamson, the drunken, ^but wealthy, 
Stranger. — A '^ funny " Game of Cards. — The 
drunken Stranger has a molent Struggle to escape 
from Mrs. Sanford, aiid is afterwards robbed— 
according to the Papers. — Petective Ingham ar- 
rested, but very shortly liberated. 

IT has already been observed by the reader 
that, while Ingham had learned nothing 
new about the fate of poor Trafton, he had ob- 
tained a very excellent understanding of Mrs. 
Sanford's character. Her most prominent char- 
acteristic was the love of money, and this passion 
seemed to overpower all others. Her language 
and manners at times showed that she had once 
been a member of good society, while her read- 
ing and declamations from Shakespeare and other 
poets gave evidence of great natural talents. 
Combined with her greed for money was a strong 



320 A "funny" game of cards. 

element of sensuality, and though she usually 
granted her favors only where she expected a 
large pecuniary reward, still, at times, she was 
apparently as prodigal in that regard as if she 
had no care whatever for money. 

Her mind was naturally powerful, and I had 
little hope of breaking down her will ; she would 
evidently show fight to the last, and all that I 
could hope would be to learn enough secretly to 
insure her conviction without her confession. 
She was as shrewd as if all her life had been 
passed in evading the toils of the law; even in 
her sleep, or when pretending to sleep, she would 
talk with great freedom; but, as she never gave 
any intelligence of importance on such occasions, 
I put little faith in the soundness of her sleep. 
In her readiness to assist Ingham to hide his 
plunder, I saw the dangerous side of this woman's 
nature strongly revealed. If she were so willing 
to act as an accomplice in one crime, why not in 
another? As she had been so successful in her 
encounter with Trafton, might she not be glad to 
carry out the same scheme again? At least, there 
would be no harm in putting an opportunity be- 
fore her, and her actions in one case might give 
some clue to those by which she had succeeded 
in the former affair. 

"Yes, that will be a good plan," I soliloquized; 
"I will send a young fellow there with a large 
sum of money, and he will get drunk. Then, if 
she tries to rob him, I shall be certain that she 
did the same with young Trafton." 



A *'FU]SrNY" GAME OF CARDS. eS21 

I therefore arranged that Ingham should pre- 
tend that he had made the acquaintance of a 
stranger from the East, who had a large sum of 
money; he was to tell Mrs. Sanford that he would 
bring the stranger to her rooms to spend the 
evening; the stranger would he rather drunk 
when he arrived there, and they would give him 
more liquor, until he should be quite drunk; if 
she should then try to rob him, he would get 
away as well as possible, and Ingham would go 
after him. In a little while, Ingham would re- 
turn and show her a package of bonds, stolen 
from the stranger, and tell her that he had 
knocked the man down with a brick bfore rob- 
bing him. The next morning a notice would ap- 
pear in the papers to the effect that a stranger 
had been found in the burnt district, lying on the 
ground in an insensible condition, having been 
knocked down and robbed. 

Ingham was instructed as to his part in the af- 
fair, and next day he told Mrs. Sanford that there 
was a young fellow down town whose acquaint- 
ance he had made, who had a large amount of 
money with him. Ingham said that the man's 
name was Adamson, and that he was a gambler in 
good luck. He wanted to bring Adamson to the 
house that evening, and she was very anxious 
that he should come. 

I intrusted the stranger's part to my son, Kob- 
ert A. Pinkerton, who assumed the name of 
Adamson for the occasion. 

Accordingly, the two detectives met at my 

14* 



322 A ''funny" game of cards. 

office, and Adamson was given five hundred dol- 
lars in fifty dollar bonds. They then went to 
Mrs. Sanford's house, and, on arriving there, 
Mr. Adamson was quite unsteady on his legs. 
Mrs. Sanford was nicely dressed to receive the 
stranger, and she made herself very agreeable to 
him, in spite of his apparent drunkemiess. They 
played cards together for a time, and then Adam- 
son proposed to play euchre with Ingham seven 
points for five dollars a game. While they were 
playing, Adamson became quite reckless, and he 
threw down his cards with such a look of 
drunken gravity as to be quite amusing. He lost 
almost every game, and, at length, he wanted to 
go out for a drink. Mrs. Sanford told him to go 
on with his game, and she would get what he 
wished. 

" What do you want to drink? " she asked. 

''Anything excep' warrer," he replied. 

" What do you know about water? " asked Ing- 
ham; "I don't believe you can tell how it looks." 

"Tha's a lie. I know how to tell warrer 's 
well's you. I (hie) can alius tell warrer — it looks 
jus' like gin. Get us some gin." 

While Mrs. Sanford was gone, Ingham and 
Adamson arranged that the latter should pretend 
to have lost all his money to the former, and 
that he should insist upon jDlaying one game for 
fifty dollars. This he was to lose, and he was to 
b^^come angry and go away. Adamson then gave 
Ingham about fifty dollars to show as his win- 
nings, and presently Mrs. Sanford came in. She 



324 A ''funny" game of cards. 

*' All right," said Ingham ; " I'll play you just 
one game for fifty dollars, and then we'll stop, no 
matter who wins. Just wait a minute, until I 
go to my room for a handkerchief." 

While he was gone, Adamson pulled out a 
package of ten United States bonds, of the de- 
nomination of fifty dollars each, and said that he 
would put up one of them against Ingham's fifty 
dollars, and that he should send the rest to his 
mother. When Ingham returned, he counted 
out fifty dollars, and Adamson laid down one of 
his bonds. 

''What's that?" asked Ingham. "Is that 
worth fifty doUars?" and picking it up, he ex- 
amined it carefully. 

" Yes'r ; tha's worth more'n fiffy doU'rs; tha's 
orth fiffy doU'rs in gold." 

Will you guarantee that it is good and all 
right ? " asked Ingham. 

"Course I will; didn't you ever see a (hie) 
bond b'f ore?" 

" Oh ! I know that's all right," said Mrs. San- 
ford, who was beginning to show the effect of 
the gin very strongly ; " I've had bon's like that, 
too. Th' young man who died here had eighteen 
thousan' bonds like this." 

"Well, all right," said Ingham; "let us cut 
for deal." 

As the game progressed, Mrs. Sanford felt the 
strength of the gin more and more, and she soon 
became quite sick. Ingham got her some warm 
water, and she went into her own room to vomit. 



-TV V, 



A ''funny" game of cards. 325 

She soon returned, feeling much better, and the 
game went on, Ingham wiiming by one point. 
Adamson then became very angry, and said he 
was going out ; and, although the others begged 
him to stay, he put on his overcoat and insisted 
on going away. Ingham finally said that he 
didn't care whether Adamson went or stayed, and, 
so saying, he walked off to his own room. Mrs. 
Sanf ord used every argument to induce Adamson 
to stay all night, but, with a drunken man's obsti- 
nacy, he refused to remain any longer. He walked 
downstairs, with Mrs. Sanford chnging to him 
and coaxing him all the way, until they reached 
the lower landing, when she put her back against 
the door and refused to let him out. They then 
had a violent struggle, in the course of which she 
tore open his coat and vest in the endeavor to get 
at the bonds in his breast pocket. Finally, he 
was obhged to use aU his force to get away, as 
she Vv-as like a tigress in her anger, and was evi- 
dently determined to rob him. Indeed, had he 
not been an active, muscular young man, she 
would, undoubtedly, have finished him then and 
there ; as it was, he barely succeeded in making 
his escape, by forcing her back upon the stairs, 
and then springing out of the door before she 
could seize him again. 

Meantime, Ingham was a silent spectator of 
this scene from the top of the stairs, where he 
stood holding the lamp. As soon as Adamson was 
out, Ingham rushed down and told Mrs. Sanford 
i.hat he intended to have those bonds anyhow. 



324 A ''funny" game of cards. 



l( 



All right," said Ingham ; '' I'll play you just 
one game for fifty dollars, and then we'll stop, no 
matter who wins. Just wait a minute, until I 
go to my room for a handkerchief." 

While he was gone, Adamson pulled out a 
package of ten United States bonds, of the de- 
nomination of fifty dollars each, and said that he 
would put up one of them against Ingham's fifty 
dollars, and that he should send the rest to his 
mother. When Ingham returned, he counted 
out fifty dollars, and Adamson laid down one of 
his bonds. 

''What's that?" asked Ingham. "Is that 
worth fifty dollars?" and picking it up, he ex- 
amined it carefully. 

" Yes'r ; tha's worth more'n fiffy doll'rs; tha's 
^orth fiffy doll'rs in gold." 

"Will you guarantee that it is good and all 
right ? " asked Ingham. 

"Course I will; didn't you ever see a (hie) 
bond b'f ore ? " 

" Oh ! I know that's all right," said Mrs. San- 
ford, who was beginning to show the effect of 
the gin very strongly ; ' ' I've had bon's like that, 
too. Th' young man who died here had eighteen 
thousan' bonds like this." 

"Well, all right," said Ingham; "let us cut 
for deal." 

As the game progressed, Mrs. Sanford felt the 
strength of the gin more and more, and she soon 
became quite sick. Ingham got her some warm 
water, and she went into her own room to vomit. 



( i •nTTXTT^.T^r ?? 



FUNNY" GAME OF CARDS. 325 

She soon returned, feeling much better, and the 
game went on, Ingham wmning by one point. 
Adamson then became very angry, and said he 
was going out ; and, although the others begged 
him to stay, he put on his overcoat and insisted 
on going away. Ingham finally said that he 
didn't care whether Adamson went or stayed, and, 
so saying, he walked off to his own room. Mrs. 
Sanf ord used every argument to induce Adamson 
to stay all night, but, with a drunken man's obsti- 
nacy, he refused to remain any longer. He walked 
downstairs, with Mrs. Sanford clinging to him 
and coaxing him all the way, until they reached 
the lower landing, when she put her back against 
the door and refused to let him out. They then 
had a violent struggle, in the course of which she 
tore open his coat and vest in the endeavor to get 
at the bonds in his breast pocket. Finally, he 
was obliged to use aU his force to get away, as 
she Tvas like a tigress in her anger, and was evi- 
dently determined to rob him. Indeed, had he 
not been an active, muscular young man, she 
would, undoubtedly, have finished him then and 
there ; as it was, he barely succeeded in making 
his escape, by forcing her back upon the stairs, 
and then springing out of the door before she 
could seize him again. 

Meantime, Ingham was a silent spectator of 
this scene from the top of the stairs, where he 
stood holding the lamp. As soon as Adamson was 
out, Ingham rushed down and told Mrs. Sanford 
that he intended to have those bonds anyhow. 



326 A "funny" game of cards. 

He told her to sit up for him, and then ran out 
after Adamson. In less than an hour, he re- 
turned and saw Mrs. Sanford watching for him 
from a front window. When he went upstairs, 
she was still somewhat under the influence of the 
liquor she had drank, but she asked him where 
he had been. 

"That's all right," he replied, flipping over the 
ends of the package of bonds; "I guess I've 
made a good enough haul this time. " 

"Oh! you are a splendid fellow," she said, 
leaning on his shoulder. "I didn't think you 
would dare to do it." 

"I dare to do anything where there is any 
money to be made. You won't go back on me, 
will you? " 

" What do you mean? " she asked. 

" I mean, that you won't give me away to the 
police ? " he asked, anxiously. 

"Why, of course I won't," she replied. "I 
never yet went back on any one who did the fair 
thing by me; and I know you will do that, won't 
you?" 

" Oh! certainly I will ; I will make you a nice 
present to-morrow." 

" I don't want a present to-morrow," she said, 
sullenly ; " I want my share now." 

" But I shall have to cash these bonds first," he 
said. " They would be of no use to you in their 
present shape." 

" I can get them cashed as well as you can," 
she replied. "Come, hand over; I don't want 
half, but I want my share now." 



A ^' funny" game of cards. 327 

'^ What is your hurry ? " he demanded. '' Can't 
you wait until to-morrow ? " 

^' No, I can't; I want my share, and if you are 
going to be mean, I will be mean too. You can't 
keep those bonds unless I say so, and if I choose 
to report you, I can have them all taken from 
you, besides sending you to Joliet." 

''Oh! if that's the way you talk," replied Ing- 
ham, ''I shall know what to do. If you can't 
trust me until to-morrow, I can't trust you at aU. 
You can't scare me by threaL^, and if you want 
to get any of this money, you must deal fairly 
with me; I'm not afraid of being arrested." 

^' All right, then," she answered, with a wicked 
look in her eye; ''we'U see whether you wiU. 
'come down' or not. If you want to keep it 
all, I shall take care that you don't keep any of 
it. I'm going to the police station at once." 

She was, evidently, just ugly enough to do as 
she said; and, as Ingham had the bonds in his 
possession, he did not fancy the idea of letting 
her go for the officers just then; so he replied: 

" You can go right along, if you want to, but, 
in that case, I shall go somewhere else." 

He then quickly brought his hat and overcoat 
into the sitting-room; and, seeing that she was 
still making preparations to go out, he took a 
hurried departure, taking a room at a small hotel 
for the night. 

In the Chicago Tribune of January 14, 1872, 
the following item appeared: 



328 A *' funny" game of cards. 

'^ Highway Eobbery. 

'* At about twelve o'clock last night, an officer 
of Pinkerton's Preventive Police stumbled over 
the body of a man near the corner of State and 
Washington streets. Stooping down, he discov- 
ered that the man was half drunk, half insensi- 
ble, bruised and bleeding. On being restored to 
his senses, he gave his name as Eobert Adamson, 
stating that he had come from Troy, New York, 
having with him several hundred dollars in cur- 
rency and bonds. I'he time between drinks was 
very sho^' yesterday afternoon, and he has no 
clear ' what happened after dark, up to the 

' ' .oer found him minus his money and 

o. He remembers drinking frequently 
^ a stranger, who made himself very agree- 
<xtAe, but cannot state the time when they parted 
company. He describes the stranger as a tall, 
slender man, with black side-whiskers, giving a 
sufficiently minute description of him to afford 
the police a valuable clue, and it is likely that the 
highwayman will soon be overhauled." 

About noon of the day that the above was pub- 
lished, Ingham went to call upon Mrs. Sanford, 
and she received him very coolly. 

'' How do you feel this morning ?" he asked. 
** Does your head ache ? " 

''No, I feel all right," she replied. *'Have 
you seen that fellow that was here last night ? " 

*' No, I have not seen him," he replied. '' Why 
do you ask ? Has he been here looking for me ? " 



A *^ funny" game of cards. 329 

''Yes, he came here this morning, and asked 
me all kinds of questions about you; and now, if 
you are arrested, it will be your own fault. I 
would have shielded you, if you had done the 
fair thing by me; but now you must look out for 
yourself." 

"You are very unreasonable, Mrs. Sanford," 
herephed; ''it would have been very dangerous 
to have left any of those bonds wdth you, for if 
the man had brought the poKce here, they would 
have searched the house, and would have found 
the bonds. Then you would have been arrested, 
and you would have been obliged to tell where 
you got the bonds. Now, as soon as I get the 
bonds cashed, I will treat you handsomely, but I 
do not intend to run any risks." 

''There would have been no danger of their 
findmg the bonds, if you had left them with me; 
and, even if they had found them, I never would 
have told where I got them. You might have 
been fair enough to give me one hundred dollars 
at least." 

" He did not have any money besides what I 
won from him, except the bonds; and, as I said 
before, I did not dare to leave those in the 
house." 

"I am sorry I ever let you into my house," 
she said, presently. " I thought a great deal of 
you, and I expected to assist you when I received 
my money ; but now I have lost confidence in 
you. I suppose, if you got a chance at my 
money, you would take that too. I begin to 



330 A ^' funny" game of cards. 

think I know where my watch went ; the detec- 
tive wanted to search you for it two or three 
times, but I wouldn't let him, and this is the way 
you reward my confidence." 

'^Mrs. Sanford, you are talking wild," he 
answered, angrily. ' ' I have always treated you 
well, and when I made a raise the other day, I 
gave you a part of it. I intended to do the same 
this time, but you acted so suspiciously that I 
thought best to wait awhile. Now, as soon as I 
get these bonds cashed, I will give you some 
more money, but not till then." 

"You can keep your old money," she retoi'ied ; 
"I don't want any of it. You think you were 
very smart, yesterday, but you don't know what 
danger you are in. I could have you arrested 
this very day if I chose." 

"I know you could; but what good would it 
do you ? I should be punished, to be sure, but 
you would not get a cent ; while, if you keep 
quiet, I will make you a fine present." 

''I don't want your present, nor you either," 
she replied. "I don't want you in my house any 
longer." Then, as Ingham started toward his 
room, she said; "Keep out of there; you can't go 
into that room, for I've let it to a young couple, 
who are in there now." 

"All right, then," replied Ingham; "I wiU call 
again to-morrow." 

"You needn't take things so mighty cool," she 
rephed, perfectly white with anger. "You may 
find yourself in jail before you know it." 



A ^' funny" game of cards. 331 

'^I know it," he answered, carelessly; ''but it's 
my nature to take things cool, and so, if you 
want to put me in jail, you can; but you can't 
scare me a bit, and you may as well understand 
it first as last." 

The following morning, I received from Mr. 
Trafton, who was then in Philadelphia, the num- 
bers of the bonds which were missing. They 
were five-twenty bonds of the issue of 1865, num- 
bers 5Y,109 and 87,656, series A, and number 
37,515, series B. Information of the robbery had 
been sent to the Treasury Department at Wash- 
ington, and to all the sub-treasurers in the United 
States, in order that, in case any of the interest 
coupons should be presented for payment, they 
might be traced back, possibly, to the hands of 
the thief. 

In The Tribune of Monday appeared the fol- 
lowing item : 

'^BEATEN AND EOBBED. 

"a man takes a walk with a compaeative 
stranger, and is knocked down and rob- 
BED OF NEARLY $1,000 IN GREENBACKS. 

''Mention was made in .yesterday's Tribune of 
the finding of a man, named Eobert Adamson, 
on the corner of State and Washington streets, 
he having been beaten and robbed of several hun- 
dred dollars in greenbacks. The police were look- 
ing for him yesterday, but failed to find him. It 
was ascertained that he had been boarding at No. 



332 A "funny" game of cards. 

92 West Madison street, and that, on Saturday 
night, he indulged in several games of euchre 
with a man who also boarded at the place. While 
the game was in progress, and Adamson was un- 
der the influence of liquor, he displayed an ex- 
press company's envelope full of money. At the 
conclusion of the game, the two men went out to 
'take a walk.' Yesterday morning, Adamson's 
companion returned to the house, and, it is said, 
offered the landlady $500 if she would say noth- 
ing about his having played cards with Adamson. 
She refused, and would not allow the fellow to 
take his trunk away, which he wanted to do very 
badly. The landlady sent her little daughter to 
police headquarters for an officer, and one was 
sent over to arrest the man; but he had left pre- 
vious to the officer's arrival. It is not known 
how much money Adamson had, but it must 
have been in the neighborhood of $1,000, or the 
man who took it would not have made such a 
munificent offer to have the fact of the theft 
kept secret." 

In accordance with my instructions, Ingham 
w^ent to Mrs. Sanford's house about noon on 
Monday. He told her that he had read in the 
paper that she had reported him to the police as 
being the assailant of Robert Adamson. She de- 
nied ever having done so, and offered to swear 
that she had never betrayed him. He replied 
that he felt sure there must be a mistake, as he 
could not believe it possible that she would be- 



<( T^TTXTXT^T " 



A ** FUNNY" GAME OF CARDS. 333 

tray him. He felt perfect confidence in her, and 
had no fears that she would try to have him ar- 
rested. 

''Besides/' he continued, ''I don't care now 
whether they arrest me or not. I'm not afraid 
of being held, for I am generally shrewd enough 
to cover my tracks pretty thoroughly, if I have a 
start of two or three days." 

"You can't prove that you didn't rob that 
man," she replied. 

"I don't need to; all the proof must come from 
the other side, and they haven't any witnesses 
who can swear that I did the robbery." 

"I could prove it, if I choose to go against 
you," she said. 

"No, you couldn't," he replied. "You didn't 
see me; and, while your testimony would, per- 
haps, be circumstantial evidence, your oath 
would be no better than mine, as you have no 
one to swear to the same thing." 

"Oh! I have great credit up at the station," 
she said, in a boasting manner. " They recollect 
the finding of eighteen thousand dollars under 
the pillow of the young man who died here, and 
they have all confidence in me, for they know I 
might have easily stolen all he had. But I think 
it is best never to do anything wrong, and then 
there is no fear of getting into trouble." 

"That's all right, if you can do it," he rephed; 
"but I must have a living, and if I can't get it 
one way, I will another." 

Just then some one knocked at the door, and 



334: A ''funny" game of cards. 

presently Charlie Stokes, the policeman, walked 
in. They talked together a few minutes, and 
then Stokes said: 

^^ Step this way a moment, Mr. Ingham, I wish 
to speak to you alone." 

They walked to the head of the stairs, and Ing- 
ham then asked what he wished to talk about. 

'^ Well, there seems to be some kind of a mis- 
understanding at the police station,'" said Stokes, 
keeping his eyes on the ground, " and they have 
sent me to ask you to walk around to the office." 

^'A misunderstanding about what?" asked 
Ingham. ^' What do you mean?" 

'^Well, you know all about it," continued 
Stokes, in the same mysterious way. 

" I beg your pardon ; I don't know what you 
have reference to ; please explain. " 

'^Oh! you know well enough. You are 
wanted on account of that man you robbed last 
Saturday night." 

'' I did not rob any man Saturday night, and I 
am surprised that you should make such a 
charge against me, knowing me as well as you 
do," said Ingham, in an injured tone. 

'' I have nothing to do with it," replied Stokes. 
'' I am simply obeying the captain's order, and I 
have no personal feeling against you whatever ; 
but I have been sent to take you down to the 
station, and I must obey orders." 

'' Then you arrest me ?" inquired Ingham. 

" WeU, you must go to the station with me to 
see the captain." 



A ^' funny" game of cards. 335 



(C 



Not unless you arrest me," replied Ingham. 

I want to know whether I am to consider my- 
self under arrest. " 

"Yes, you can consider yourself arrested, if 
you want to," replied Stokes, who did not seem 
to Kke to take the responsibility of making the 
arrest under the circumstances. 

"I don't want to, and I shan't, unless you say 
so," persisted Ingham. 

' ' Well, then, I do say so, and we will go now. 
We can walk along together like two friends, 
however, and no one need know that you are my 
prisoner." 

"I don't care who knows it," said Ingham; 
*^but I think there is something strange in the 
way of arresting me." 

"Well, I hope you will come out all right," 
Stokes replied, adding significantly, "and per- 
haps you will, if certain folks don't appear 
against you." 

"I'm not afraid," replied Ingham; "there is 
no one w^ho can say anything against me." 

On arriving at the station, the same considera- 
tion was shown to him, and the station-keeper 
asked him to make himself comfortable in the 
main sitting-room. 

"Am I under arrest ?" he asked again. 

"No, not exactly; you can take it easy for a 
time, and you will have an examination soon." 

"If I am not under arrest," Ingham repHed, 
I shall not stay here." 

"Why not?" asked the station-keeper. 



a 



336 A "funny" game of cards. 

" Because I have no business here unless I am 
a prisoner," was Ingham's reply. 

''We can lock you up in a cell, if we want to," 
said the station-keeper; ''but we thought you 
would prefer to be comfortable up here." 

"Then I a7?^ a prisoner ?" again inquired Ing- 
ham, who seemed anxious to have his status 
satisfactorily explained. 

"Yes, confound it ; if you are determined to 
have it so, you are." 

About five o'clock the sergeant of poHce came 
in, and asked Ingham his name. 

"Ingham," was the reply. 

' ' Jack Ingham ? " 

"No ; John Ingham." 

"What is your business ? " asked the sergeant. 

"I'm not employed at aU, just now. 

"Have you ever had any work to do in this 
city ? " again queried the sergeant. 

"No ; not yet." 

"Who was that man you were playing cards 
with the other night ? " 

" What night ? " asked Ingham. 

" WeU, Saturday night." 

" Whereabouts ? " 

"At your boarding place." 

" Oh ! I play cards with a great many fellows, " 
Ingham replied. "I don't know which one you 



mean." 



"Well, we know who he was," said the ser- 
geant. 

"Then what are you asking me for?" said 
Ingham. " Am I under arrest? " 



<( -rrmvTXTxr 'J 



funny" game of cards. 337 

'* I guess you will have to stay here awhile," 
was the sergeant's reply. 

Presently a number of persons came into the 
room, and Ingham thought he saw among them 
one of the bindery girls who had formerly lodged 
with Mrs. Sanf ord. She looked at him very hard, 
and then went out into the hall, where he could 
hear her talking with the station-keeper and 
Stokes. He also heard the sergeant call a police- 
man and give him some instructions, in which 
Ingham caught the words, '^Pinkerton's office." 
The man then put on his coat and went out. 
Presently the sergeant approached him again, 
and, looking at him significantly, said: 

"Now we know all about your playing cards 
with that man, and afterward robbing him." 

"I don't know what you mean," Ingham re- 
plied; '^I don't know what man you are talking 
about." 

^ ^ Didn't you see that piece in the paper yester- 
day? " asked the sergeant. 

' ' I saw a number of pieces in the paper yester- 
day, but I can't tell which one you are referring 
to." 

The sergeant then showed him the item headed 
" Highway Eobbery," and said: 

" Now, we can prove that you came back to 
your landlady with a large package of money, 
and offered her five hundred dollars to keep quiet 
about the fact of your having played cards with 
this young fellow, and then having followed him 
out." 

13 



338 A ** funny" game of cards. 

'* Well, if you can prove that, you had better 
do it," said Ingham; then, changing his tone, and 
looking straight in the sergeant's face, he added: 
'^ Now, look here, sergeant, if you have any 
charges against me, ijust state them." 

The sergeant muttered something about lock- 
ing him up, and started to go out. 

" If you lock me up," replied Ingham, coolly, 
'^ I hope you are prepared to take the conse- 
quences." 

'^ Who the devil are you, anyhow? " asked the 
sergeant. 

^' No relation of yours, I assure you," was the 
reply, and the sergeant went away. 

At this time, a tall, dignified man came in and 
asked the station-keeper a question. The police- 
man replied that there was no such man there. 

^' I know better than that," said the stranger, 
*^ and I must see him," 

The station-keeper declared positively that they 
had no such man, and the stranger then went up- 
stairs. In a few minutes the sergeant came in 
and told Ingham to follow him. As they were 
going upstairs, they met the tall stranger coming 
down. Ingham felt confident that this man was 
looking for him, and, in passing, be pixiched the 
stranger's leg. The pinch was returned, and the 
tall man stopped; but Ingham and the sergeant 
went up to the captain's room. After asking 
Ingham his name, the captain said: 

^' Where were you last Saturday night ? " 

^' That is none of your business,^' said Ingham, 



a -niTTVTXT-tr ?> 



FUNNY" GAME OF CARDS. 339 

*' Come, now, you needn't put on any airs," 
said the captain; ''I want to know all about 
this." 

'' Captain," Ingham replied, '' if you have any 
charges against me, I should like to hear them. 
I don't put on any airs, but I want to know what 
I am under arrest for." 

Turning to the sergeant, the captain said: 

*'How long would it take you to bring that 
man on here, sergeant ? " 

^* Three or four days, at least," was the an- 
swer. 

Just then the tall stranger entered, and the 
captain took him into a private room, where they 
remained some time. When they came out, the 
sergeant joined the captain for a few minutes, 
while the tall gentleman introduced himself to 
Ingham as Judge B , and said that the cap- 
tain would let him go. This proved true, for the 
captain very soon came out, and told Ingham 
that he was at liberty. 



34:0 CONNECTING LINKS 



CHAPTER IV. 

Connecting JLinhs. — 3frs. SanforcVs Ability as an Imi- 
tator of Actors. — One Detective tears himself awaij 
from her, and another takes his Place. — Mrs. San- 
forcVs mind frequently burdened with the Subject of 
Murder. — New Evidence appearing. — A Peep at the 
stolen Bonds. — The Shrewdness of the Murderess. 

INGHAM did not return to Mrs. Sanford's un- 
til late in the evening of the day of his arrest. 
On arriving there, he was admitted by Charlie 
Stokes, the policeman, who seemed very much 
surprised to see him. Mrs. Sanford was also 
quite astonished, and turned very pale on seeing 
him. However, they soon began talking in a very 
friendly way, expressing their regret at his arrest 
and their pleasure at his release. Charlie did 
not remain long, and after he was gone Mrs. San- 
ford made all kinds of inquiries as to the manner 
of his escape. 

'' Why, Mrs. Sanford," he replied, "I told you 
they couldn't hold me. There was absolutely no 
evidence against me, and they were afraid to 
even lock me up. I have been ten years in this 
business, in New Orleans and elsewhere, and I 
have never been caught yet. The only thing 
which puzzles me, is to account for my being ar- 
rested at all ! " 

^* You don't suspect that I had any hand in it, 
I hope ? " asked Mrs. Sanford. 



CONNECTING LINKS. 341 



a 



Oh, no indeed ! I trust you perfectly; but I 
think that one of those bindery girls may have 
seen me with Adamson on the street. One of 
them came into the station while I was there, 
and looked at me very hard, as if trying to identify 
me. Still, I don't see how she could have sus- 
pected anything, unless some one put her up to it." 

'^Perhaps some bartender may have seen you 
drinking with him during the afternoon," she 
suggested, ' ' and he may have described you to 
the police." 

" Well, I should hke to know who it was," he 
said, savagely, ^^for I would shoot him hke a 
dog." 

As Mrs. Sanf ord had rented Ingham's room, 
there was no place for him to stay, and he v/ent 
away about midnight, telling her that he would 
return next day. He did not go there, however, 
until after dark, as he felt confident that the police 
would try to ''shadow" him. He found Mrs. 
Sanford quite uneasy about him, as she thought 
he had been arrested again. He invited her to 
go to the theatre, and, on their way home, they 
stopped at a restaurant to ge': a late supper. As 
there were no accommodations for him, he was 
obliged to go to a hotel for the night, but Mrs. 
Sanford promised to have a bed put into the un- 
furnished room for him the next day. The next 
afternoon he called again, and Mrs. Sanford said 
that Charlie had been there, and had told her all 
about their visit to the theatre the night before. 
She said that he knew exactly where they had 



342 CONNECTING LINKS. 

been, what they had had for supper, and what 
tRey had paid. Ingham was thus made aware 
that he was being watched, and his position, 
therefore, became very embarrassing. 

^'Oh! by the way," she exclaimed, suddenly, 
'^ did I tell you that I got back my watch ? " 

" No; how did you recover it ? " he asked. 

'' Well, that man Graves had it, and I had to 
pay one hundred dollars to get it back. " 

"That was a great shame," said Ingham, sym- 
pathetically, as if he fully believed her. 

' ' Yes, I got my watch and several other trin- 
kets, which I had all together in one box. See, 
here they are, " she said, producing a box. 

Ingham looked at them with great interest, 
and, among the old sleeve-buttons, odd earrings, 
and other broken pieces of jewelry, he saw two 
gold shirt Studs, one diamond-shaped, and the 
other star-shaped. This was a small matter, but 
it was one of the connecting links, nevertheless, 
in the chain of evidence against her; for, from 
the description, I felt sure that these were young 
Trafton's missing studs. 

Ingham spent the evening with her, and she 
was very friendly indeed, seeming anxious to re- 
move any suspicion he might have that she was 
responsible for his arrest. She had made no ar- 
rangements for him to sleep there, however, and 
so he went to a small hotel for the night. When 
he reported at my office the following day, I gave 
him four hundred dollars in money, and told him 
to show it to Mrs. Sanford as the proceeds of the 



CONNECTING LINKS. 343 

sale of the stolen bonds. Accordingly, when he 
went there in the afternoon, he counted over a 
large pile of bills before her astonished eyes, and 
asked her if he didn't know how to make things 
pay well. 

' ' Yv^hy, where did you get all that money ? " 
she asked. 

^'I sold those bonds which I showed you the 
other night," he replied. "I tell you, it isn't 
every man who knows how to dispose of prop- 
erty when it falls into his hands." 

' ' Now you will be flush for a long time, won't 
you?" she said, in her most amiable manner. 
" What are you going to do with all that ? " 

' ' Oh ! I shall have to divide with my partner 
first," he replied. 

^^Did you have a partner in this affair?" she 
asked. " You did not tell me about him." 

'' Oh ! yes ; I had the same partner as in the 
other case," Ingham repUed. ^^ He held Adam- 
son, and I struck him with a brick. However, 
here is a present before I go. May," he con- 
tinued, tossing two ten-dollar notes into her lap. 
'^ I will give you some more in a day or two." 

Mrs. Sanford was very much gratified, and 
said that she cared more for him than for any 
one else, and he could depend upon her for any- 
thing. Ingham then left her, and came to my 
office to return the money. In the evening he 
took Mrs. Sanford and Miss Ida Musgrove to the 
theatre, and the latter, evidently hdivmg heard 
of his improved fortunes, treated him with great 



344; CONNECTING LINKS. 

cordiality. They returned to the rooms of Misp 
Ida after the theatre was out, and Mrs. Sanford 
gave some fine imitations of different actors and 
actresses, in a way which showed great powers of 
mimicry, as well as considerable dramatic force. 
It was very late when Ingham and Mrs. Sanford 
got home, and they immediately went to bed. 

The next day, Ingham went avv^ay as usual, 
and stayed until nearly dark. When he saw Mrs. 
Sanford, he professed to be in a very sulky mood, 
and said that he had been gambling all day. 

^' At first I won right along, and I was nearly 
two thousand dollars ahead at one time; but the 
cursed luck changed, and I began to lose every 
bet; so that, when I left, I had only ten dollars 
in my pocket out of all that money I got for the 
bonds." 

Ingham could not control his feelings as he 
thought of his loss, and he swore and raved like 
a crazy man. Mrs. Sanford was very much dis- 
appointed, also, but she did not say much, except 
that he ought to have known better than to gam- 
ble. There were two or three new lodgers com- 
ing in and out while he was there, so that he did 
not have much time to talk to her, and he went 
away early in the evening. 

Owing to the arrest of Ingham, and his quarrel 
with Mrs. Sanford, I had decided to relieve him 
from this operation, and to put another man in 
his place. His story about gambling was a part 
of my plan; and the next day, when he called 
upon her, Me was under instructions to announce 



CONNECTING LINKS. 345 

his intended departure from the city. Accord- 
ingly, he did so, giving as a reason the fact that 
he had lost all his money, and that the police 
were watching him so closely that he was afraid 
to attempt another robbery in Chicago. He told 
her that he was going to St. Louis, and that he 
should come to see her immediately, if he ever 
should return. 

She appeared very much distressed at the 
thought of losings him, and told him that when 
she got her money, she would let him have as 
much as he wanted. She made him promise to 
write to her, and when he went away, she cried 
with seemingly genuine sorrow. 

Three days later Mrs. Sanford received a visit 
from a gentleman who said he wished to rent a 
furnished room. Mrs. Sanford seemed to like his 
appearance, and she offered him the small back 
room at a low rent. Having decided to take it, 
he told her that his name was Henry C Morton, 
recently from England. 

^' Oh ! I am so glad you are from the old coun- 
try," said Mrs. Sanford, *'as I am from Edinboro' 
myself, and my father is Lord Chief Justice of 
the courts there. He is very rich, and has treated 
me very liberally since I left my husband ; why, 
only last week, he sent me three thousand dol- 
lars." 

Just then a Mr. Bruce, the owner of the furni- 
ture store below, came in, looking rather tipsy. 
Mrs. Sanford introduced the two men, and Mr. 
Bruce said something about being an Irishman. 

15* 



346 CONNECTING LINKS. 

'^ Whj", what a strange coincidence," said Mr. 
Morton. ''Here are three persons, each repre- 
senting one of the three kingdoms of Great Brit- 
ain. If I had some one to send for some ale, 
we would drink a toast to Britannia, God bless 
her ! " 

After talking together for some time, Mrs. 
Sanford and Mr. Morton went into the sitting- 
room, and Mr. Bruce went down to his store. 
Then Morton said that he had left his valise at 
the Stock Yards, and that he would go for it at 
once. On his return, he found two rough-look- 
ing men at the door trying to get in, but the bell 
would not ring, and so Morton went away for 
half an hour, leaving the men knocking and kick- 
ing on the door. About eight o'clock, he came 
back and found the door open. He went up- 
stairs and entered the sitting-room. Mrs. San- 
ford was full of apologies for having locked him 
out, but she said that she had had trouble with 
one of her boarders, and she had resolved to keep 
him out of the house. While they were talking, 
the two men whom Morton had seen at the door 
came in, and a quarrel immediately sprang up 
between Mrs. Sanford and the younger of the 
two. In a short time, they both became furiously 
angry, and they used the most bitterly oppro- 
brious language toward each other. Finally, 
Mrs. Sanford, who was ironing, rushed at the 
young man with a flatiron in her hand, and she 
would undoubtedly have seriously injured him if 
he had not escaped into his own room at the 



CONNECTING LINKS. Ml 

head of the stairs. She then laid a heavy poker 
on the table beside her, and said that she would 
mash his skull if he came near her again. In 
a short time, he again reentered the room, 
when, seizing the poker, she rushed at him like 
a fury. He succeeded in avoiding her until Mor- 
ton and the other man induced her to give up the 
poker; and both the strangers then went away, 
saying that they should be back at eleven 
o'clock. 

After their departure, Mrs. Sanford dropped 
into a chair and cried for a time, saying that she 
never had acted so before in her life, as no one 
had ever treated her so shamefully. Then she 
became loquacious and confidential, telling Mor- 
ton the old story of her father being Lord Chief 
Justice of Scotland, and her husband a wealthy 
man in Buffalo. She recited the reasons she had 
for leaving her husband, and said that her father 
first sent her one hundred and fifty dollars after 
the separation, but that she thought so small a 
sum was an insult, and so she sent it back. She 
added that he had promised her three thousand 
dollars very soon, and that she expected to re- 
ceive it in a week or two. From thfe subject, 
she drifted to the story of young Trafton's death, 
which she told with great minuteness. She said 
that when she found he was dead, she fainted 
away, and did not recover for nearly two hours. 

While she was running on in her story, a loud 
noise was heard, and she explained to Morton 
that Ml. Bruce had been drinking all day, until 



348 LX^ CONNECTING LINKS. 



he was afraid to go home, and that now he was 
qxiite drunk in her room. She said that he had 
been very kind to her in letting her have furni- 
ture on credit, and so she wanted to make him 
comfortable until he was sobered off. During 
the evening she recited a number of selections 
from Byron, Scott, and Longfellow, and even 
gave several parts from Shakespeare's plays with 
great force and beauty of elocution. She also 
talked a great deal about Jack Ingham, a former 
lodger in her rooms, and she seemed to have a 
very high opinion of him. She said that he was 
obliged to leave town because the police were 
after him about something he had done, adding, 
that she didn't care for that, however, and she 
would never go back on a friend, but would shield 
him for anything except murder. It was after 
two o'clock in the morning before they retired, 
and as she had not fitted up Morton's room prop- 
erly, she made a bed for him on the lounge in the 
sitting-room. As Mr. Bruce was lying dead- 
drunk on her bed, she was obliged to sleep on the 
floor of her room. 

About four o'clock Morton was awakened by 
Mrs. Sanford, who said that she could not sleep 
in her room, as Bruce snored so loudly, just as 
Stanley Trafton did the night he died. 

'' Oh! it is horrible to think of," she said, shud- 
dering. ^'I shall go crazy if I stay in there any 
longer." 
C-*^he then lay down on the table and covered 
herself with a bedspread she had brought from 



CONNECTING LINKS. 349 

her own room. About six o'clock they were 
awakened by a loud noise at the outer door, and 
Mrs. Sanf ord said that those drunken loafers had 
come back again. She immediately got up, took 
a revolver from her room, and went down to the 
door, where she told the men to go away, as she 
would not admit them at that time of night. 
While she was talking Bruce began moving 
around, and he found his way into the hall. 
Then Morton heard a great crash, as if some one 
had fallen downstans, followed by a call from 
Mrs. Sanf ord, in tragic tones, for him to come and 
help her. Morton went out and found that Bruce 
had fallen from the top to the foot of the stairs, 
and on going down he discovered the unfortunate 
representative of the Emerald Isle lying in a 
heap against the front door. The two men out- 
side had evidently been scared away by the noise, 
and they did not return until eight o'clock. 
Bruce was not hurt, except a cut on his hand, 
which Morton bound up, and then quiet reigned 
again until after daylight. About nine o'clock 
Morton went in to see Bruce, whom he found 
sitting up in bed. Bruce said that his money 
was gone, and that Mrs. Sanford had drugged 
him the night before to enable her to steal it. 
Morton called Mrs. Sanford, and asked where 
Bruce's money was. She said she had put it 
away for safe keeping, and, lifting the mattress, 
she took out two pocket-books and a box con- 
taining her watch, trinkets, etc. Having given 
Bruce his pocket-book^ she went out, and he then 



350 CONNECTING LINKS. 

counted his money. He said he ought to have 
eighty-one dollars, but that she had helped her- 
self to ten dollars; it was not worth while mak- 
ing a fuss about it, but he said that he knew she 
had drugged him. 

After awhile, Mr. Graves came in, and had a 
private interview with Mrs. Sanford. She seemed 
afraid of him, v^hile he acted as if he had some 
hold upon her. When they came into the sitting- 
room, where Bruce and Morton were talking to- 
gether, Mrs. Sanford asked Graves to lend her a 
dollar, but he refused. 

^ ' Pshaw ! I don't want it, " she replied. ^ ' I only 
asked to see whether you'd lend it, as I have 
quite enough of my own; " and, so saying, she 
took out her pocket-book. 

Morton saw her count out nine ten-dollar bills 
and nine one- dollar bills. From the fact that she 
showed just ninety-nine dollars, it was probable 
that she had only recently changed one of the 
one-hundred-dollar bills taken from young Traf- 
ton. She then opened another compartment, and 
took out two pieces of folded paper, of a creamy 
thit, apparently about the size of two sheets of 
foolscap. They were folded several times, and 
were crammed in pretty tight. 

''Do you know what those are? " she asked. 

"No, I do not," he replied; "what are they?" 

She merely laughed, and closed the pocket- 
book, whispering that she didn't want Graves 
and Bruce to see her money. She said she did 
not wish to be left alone with Graves, for fear he 



CONNECTING LINKS. 351 

should rob her; so Morton asked him to go out 
and play a game of billiards. Bruce was in a 
great state of anxiety, lest his wife should have 
come down to the store to see where he had spent 
Ihe night, and he remained with Mrs. Sanford. 

Morton did not return to Mrs. Sanford's until 
l^te in the evening, and he found her dressing to 
go to a ball. She insisted that he should go, 
offering to pay all the expenses. He pretended 
to be very much hurt at her suggestion, saying 
that he never would permit any lady to pay any- 
thing when he took her out. She was dressed 
very tastefully, and presented a very stylish ap- 
pearance, so that she attracted a good deal of at- 
tention at the ball. Before going, she sent Morton 
to a drug store for a drachm of morphine, saying 
that she must have it, as she used it constantly. 

The next morning, they did not get up until a 
late hour, and Mrs. Sanford said that she did not 
feel very well. While talking together, they 
drifted into a discussion about money. Morton, 
like a genuine John Bull, maintaining there was 
no safety except in gold, or Bank of England 
notes. 

'' But we don't have either in this country," 
said Mrs. Sanford; ''and now, suppose you had a 
large sum of money^ what would you do with 

it?" 

" That's just what I would like to know," he re- 

phed. " I expect to receive one hundred pounds 

from England very soon, and I don't know where 

to keep it." 



352 CONNECTING LINKS. 



i( 



Well, I shall put my three thousand dollars 
into bonds," she said. '' They can be registered, 
so tliat no one can use them except the rightful 
owner, and the interest is payable in gold.-' 

^'I don't know anything about bonds," said 
Morton, ''especially these American bonds, which 
sometimes depreciate very fast." 

''Oh! the bonds of the United States are good 
anywhere," she replied, "and they will sell for 
their face in England or Canada just as well as 
here. They are the best securities there are. I 
have some now, and I intend to get some more." 

While talking, Morton picked up a card which 
was in her work-basket, and saw that it was an 
advertisement of a gift concert or lottery. She 
noticed it, and said that it had been left there by 
a man named Druen, who used to come to see 
her. She said that he had stolen a five-hundred- 
doliar bond from her, however, and he had never 
been there since. Soon afterward she went to 
sleep again, and did not awake until evening, as 
she was very tired from the effects of the ball. 
Morton remained in the house all day; and, when 
she woke up, he got supper for her. She seemed 
very much pleased at his thoughtfulness, and 
said that she never had had any one so kind to 
her since she left her husband. 

" I want you to go to the bank with me some 
day," she said, " as I want to draw the interest on 
some of my coupons, and then you will see what 
good securities American bonds are." 

"I shall be very glad to go with you," said 



CONNECTING LINKS. 353 

Morton ; ^^for, if they are really good securities, 
I will invest some money in them." 

''Oh! there is nothing better," she replied, 
*' and I will show you mine." 

She then took out the pocket-book she had 
shown him before, and unfolded one of the 
pieces of paper. Morton saw that it was a five- 
hundred-dollar bond, of the issue of 1S65, pay- 
able in 1885, with about twenty or thirty coupons 
attached. He was so surprised and excited at 
seeing the bond, that he could hardly tell what to 
do, and so he failed to notice the most important 
point— the number. By the time she had opened 
the other bond, however, he had his wits a little 
more under command, and he was able to re- 
member that the figures of the number were 
five, seven, one, zero, and some other figure; but 
he could not recollect positively the order in 
which they came. 

'' You can go to the bank to-morrow and get 
the coupons cashed for me, can't you?" she 
asked, after putting away the bonds. 

'' Oh ! certainly, if you wish me to do so," he 
replied. 
Then she laughed, and said : 
''You would be arrested if you should take 
these bonds to the bank." 

''How so ?" he asked, apparently in great sur- 
prise. "Why should I be arrested ? " 

"Because the bonds belong to me, and you 
would have to give an account of the way in 
which you obtained them." 



354: CONNECTING LINKS. 

'^Oh! well," he replied, ^^you could give me an 
order, and that would make it all right." 

"Yes, I suppose so," she said, carelessly. 

Her object, eyidently, was to make Morton 
believe that it would not do for him to attempt 
to steal the bonds; for, though she trusted him 
to the extent of showing him her money and 
valuables, she was eternally suspicious and care- 
ful. 

Of course, on receiving Morton's report, I felt 
quite confident that the two bonds he had seen 
were a part of those taken from young Trafton. 
Still, I had no positive proof of their identity, 
and, in accordance with my invariable custom, I 
took no hasty step, b^hg confident that my 
detective would soon elicit all the facts. I wrote 
to Mr. Eichard S. Trafton, however, suggesting 
thai he have himself appointed administrator of 
his son's estate, so that he could begin proceed- 
ings instantly, the moment I was ready. 

Several days passed, during which Morton 
gained Mrs. Sanford's confidence more and more. 
She was anxious one evening that he should rob 
Mr. Bruce, who came in half drunk; but Morton 
told her that he never worked that way. 

"Why, Jack Ingham would have killed a man 
to get money out of him," said Mrs. Sanford. 
"Jack wasn't afraid to do anything for money." 

"Well, that isn't my style," said Morton, con- 
temptuously. "Do you suppose I am going to 
have a scuffle and struggle, ending perhaps in 
murder, when I can make ten times as much by 



CONNECTING LINKS. 355 

a little skillful work with my pen ? I don't want 
the police to be snuffing 'round my heels on ac- 
count of highway robbery and such small game ; 
when I do anything to set them after me, it will 
be for a big stake, and even if they catch me, 
they will be mighty glad to compromise. Oh ! 
no ; not any little jobs for me ; it is only the big 
rascals VN^ho can work safely." 

]\Iorton succeeded in inducing her to leave 
Bruce alone, though she had evidently meant to 
drug him, for she took a glass of beer, which she 
had' poured out for him, and threw it into the 
sink. They all drank considerable beer, however, 
during the evening, aif^ Mrs. Sanford, having 
taken also a large dose of morphine, became 
nearly insensible. On seeing her condition, Mor- 
ton and another lodger thought they had better 
- put her to bed ; but as Bruce was in a drunken 
stupor in her room, Morton determined to try the 
effect of putting her into the room where young 
Trafton had died. No sooner had they laid her 
on the bed, however, before she sprang up, gazed 
around an instant, and then rushed shrieking 
from the room, saying that she dare not he there,, 
and that she had seen "him "lying beside her. 
She was then placed on the lounge in the sitting- 
room, where she became quite hysterical. Mor- 
ton sat beside her, and soothed her until she 
became quiet, and about midnight she fell asleep. 
Morton said to me, on making one of his 
reports, that she would often ^determine to give 
up morphine and liquor, and live more respect- 



^66 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

ably. Then she would become excited from the 
craving for the drug, and would take a dose, 
which would soothe her, make her amiable, and 
give her energy enough to do anything ; "gradu- 
ally she would become wild again, and would be 
almost unbearable, while the maddening effect 
lasted, especially if she took any liquor to add to 
her temper ; finally, the influence would pass off, 
leaving her weak, despondent, and stupidly affec- 
tionate. I saw that she was not likely to confess 
anything to any one, and I therefore decided to 
bring the affair to a crisis without delay. 



CHAPTER V. 

A moneyed young Texan becomes one of Mrs. Sanford's 
Lodgers. — The Bonds are seen, and their Numbers 
taken by the Detectives. — 3Irs. Sanford Arrested. — 
Sudden and Shrewd Defense by the Prisoner. — She 
is found guilty of ^'•Involuntary Manslaughter,'''' and 
sentenced to the Illinois Penitentiary for five years. — 
Misdirected Philanthropy, and its Reward. — Mr. 
Pioikerton^'s Theory of the Manner in which Trafton 
was Murdered. 

HAVING discussed my plan with my superin- 
tendent, Mr. F. Warner, I sent for one of 
my youngest men, named Thomas Barlow, and 
gave him explicit instructions as to the course 
which he was to pursue in connection with Mrs. 
Sanford. 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 357 

On the first day of February, therefore, a young 
fellow called at Mrs. Sanford's about five o'clock 
in the afternoon, and asked if she had any rooms 
to rent. She was very civil to him, and offered 
him the room at the head of the stairs, for three 
dollars a week. While she was showing him the 
rooms, she asked him a number of questions 
about himself ; and as he was a smooth-faced, 
innocent-looking young man, he told her all 
about his affairs. He said that his name was 
Thomas Barlow, from Texas, where his father 
was a great cattle-raiser ; he had brought several 
hundred head of cattle to the city, and had sold 
them at a high price; he intended staying in Chi- 
cago for a short time, and then he should go up 
the Eed River of the North, in the early spring, 
to do some fur trading, as he believed there was 
a good deal of money to be made up there, by any 
one with sufficient capital; he intended to have a 
good time in Chicago first, however. 

As soon as Mrs. Sanford learned that he had 
money with him, she became very affectionate 
indeed, telling him that she would make him 
more comfortable than he could be anywhere else, 
and that she would treat him like a prince. She 
introduced Morton as her brother, and said that 
they would all go to the theatre together. At 
first. Barlow refused, but she insisted so urgently, 
that he finally consented to go. He went away 
for an hour to get his valise, and when he re- 
turned, Mrs. Sanford was dressed in her most 
stylish clothes, as if determined to make the best 



358 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

possible impression upon him. He was very 
good-natured and boyish, apparently believing all 
she told him, and laughing at all her attempts to 
be funny. After leaving the theatre, she learned 
that one of her old acquaintances was to have a 
^^ grand opening" in a new saloon, and she was 
obstinately determined to find the place. After 
walking about for an hour, she called a hack man, 
and offered him five dollars to find this new 
saloon, where she was anxious to take a drink, 
as she said, '' for good luck and old acquaintance' 
sake." After driving about until midnight, she 
learned that the opening was postponed, and 
they then went to a restaurant near her house to 
get supper. It was two o'clock before they went 
to bed, but before going, Mrs. Sanford learned 
that Barlow was to receive his pay for the cattle 
in a check for over four thousand dollars. She 
talked with him about the risk of carrying money 
around on th'^e person, and told him that he ought 
to buy bonds, as then they would not be lost even 
if they should be stolen. He agreed with her, 
and said that he would try to buy some bonds 
when he got his check cashed. 

The next morning they took breakfast with 
Mrs. Sanford, as she seemed anxious to keep 
Barlow with her as much as possible. It was 
noticeable that she did not, as she had usually 
done in all previous instances, tell him anything 
about young Traf ton, who had died in her house, 
''with eighteen thousand dollars in bonds in his 
boots. " She told Barlow that she had some bonds, 
and he would do well to get the same kind. 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 359 



(( 



I don't know much about them," he replied, 
'' but if you think they are good, I guess they are 
good enough for me. What are they hke? I 
never saw any." 

"I mil show you mine," said Mrs. Sanford. 
V'l am going to sell one of them soon, as my 
lease is up at the end of the month, and I want 
to buy a house." 

She then went into her bedroom, closed the door, 
and remained several minutes. When she came 
out, she had a fat pocket-book in her hand, and 
she took from it the two pieces of folded paper 
which she had shown to Morton. On opening 
them, she spread them out, and both Barlow and 
Morton saw the numbers plainly, as they looked 
over her shoulder. 

^' There, these little tickets are coupons," she 
explained to Barlow ; ' ' and every six months T 
can get fifteen dollars in gold by cutting off one 
from. each bond." * 

'^ Did you say you wanted to sell one ? " asked 
Morton. ''If you do, perhaps you might sell it 
to Mr. Barlow, as a sample of the kind he wants 
to get." 

''Yes, that would be a good idea," said Barlow;' 
"then they can't fool luewith any other kind, 
when I go to buy." 

" Well, I guess I will do it," said Mrs. Sanford ; 
"at any rate, you can see me about it before you 
go to buy yours.^' 

She then put the bonds into the pocket-book 
again and went into her bedroom. On her re- 



360 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

turn, Barlow told her that he must go down town 
to get paid for his cattle, and he asked Morton to 
go with him. Accordingly, the two men went 
out about noon, but Mrs. Sanford called Morton 
back a moment to tell him to stay with Barlow 
all day. 

*^ Don't you lose sight of him for a minute," 
she said ; "and bring him back here with all his 
money." 

They did not return until after four o'clock, 
and Barlow told her that he had been obliged to 
go to the stockyards to get paid. He then went 
to his room for a few minutes, and Mrs. Sanford 
asked Morton whether Barlow had his money 
with him. 

"Yes, they gave him a check for the amount, 
but it was too late to get it cashed, and he will 
have to wait until to-morrow." 

" Couldn't we get it away from him and forge 
his name to it?" she asked. "We could get it 
cashed the first thing in the morning." 

"It would be too risky," he replied, "as they 
probably know him at the bank, and we should 
be arrested at once. But you can offer to go 
with him to the bank in the morning, and he is 
so soft that you will not have much trouble in 
getting a large sum out of him." 

During the evening, Mrs. Sanford was very 
affectionate toward Barlow, and she learned all 
about him. He told his story in such a way, that 
she believed him to be an innocent country boy 
from Texas, whose most dangerous experiences 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 361 

had hitherto consisted of hairbreath 'scapes from 
steer and bull. He showed her a check on the 
First National Bank for about four thousand dol- 
lars, and told her that when he got it cashed in 
the morning, he would give her a nice present. 
It was then agreed that she should go to the bank 
with him next day. The evening was spent in 
reading aloud and singing, and they all retired 
much earlier than usual. 

When Morton and Barlow left Mrs. Sanford at 
noon, they had, of course, come to my office to 
report their discovery of the stolen bonds. There 
was now no possibility of a raistake, as they had 
seen the two bonds of the series A, numbered 
57,109 and 87,656. I therefore instructed Mr. 
Warner to obtain a warrant for her arrest, and 
a search warrant for her house, both to be served 
the next morning before the hour appointed for 
going to the bank with Barlow. Everything was 
prepared in advance, a trustworthy constable was 
obtained to make the arrest, and a telegram was 
sent to Mr. R. S. Trafton in Cleveland, asking him 
to come to Chicago immediately. A reply was 
received the next morning, stating that he had 
left by the evening train. 

About eleven o'clock on Saturday, February 3, 
Mr. Warner and the constable arrived at Mrs. 
Sanford's rooms. On knocking at the door of the 
sittmg-room, they were admitted by Morton, who 
asked what they wanted. 

''I would like to engage rooms, if there are 
any to rent," said Mr. Warner. 

16 



862 MRS. SANFORt) AlSRESTED. 

/'I will speak to the landlady," said Morton, 
going to the door of her room 

'^ Tell the gentleman to call again," said Mrs. 
Sanford; ^'I am not dressed, and can't see him." 

^'I only wish to see her a few minutes," Mr. 
Warner replied, addressing Morton in a tone loud 
enough to be heard by Mrs. Sanford, whose door 
was slightly ajar. 

^^Well, I can't see the gentleman until this 
afternoon," she replied. 

^^ I have some important business, and I must 
attend to it now," answered Mr. Warner, putting 
his foot in the opening and pushing the door in 
with his shoulder; then he continued, addressing 
the constable, ^'This is Mrs. Sanford, and you 
can arrest her now." 

The constable immediately took charge of her, 
and she was allowed to complete her toilet, 
though Mr. Warner first searched her dress, be- 
fore letting her put it on. He then made a care- 
ful search of the bedroom, during the progress of 
which Mrs. Sanford was very noisy and troubled- 
some, crying, and pretending to go into hysterics 
several times. Once, when Mr. Warner was look- 
ing very carefully through her trunk, she said, to 
him, in very tragic tones: 

*' By the way you act, one would think you 
were looking for a murdered man." 

'^ Well, perhaps if we had come a little sooner, 
we might have found one," he replied, quickly, 
giving her a sharp glance. 

As nothing had been said to her or to any one 



MRS. SAKFORD ARRESTED. 363 

else about any charge e:xcept that of larceny, this 
remark was highly significant; and, on her trial, 
it undoubtedly had great weight with the jury. 

Mr. Warner soon found the pocket-book con- 
taining the bonds under the mattress of her bed, 
and after examining them sufficiently to identify 
them, he gave them to the constable. Mrs. San- 
ford was then taken to my office, and, as Mr. 
Trafton had arrived from Cleveland, we tried to 
have an interview v/ith her relative to young 
Traf ton's death. She was too crafty, however, 
and she pretended to go into hysterics whenever 
we began to question her. 

Meantime, Morton and Barlow had accompa- 
nied her, and Morton offered to get her a lawyer 
to advise her. She was very grateful to him, and 
said he was her only friend. He soon brought in 
a lawyer well versed in defending criminals, and 
the whole party then went to the justice's court- 
room. At the close of the examination, she was 
held to await the action of the Grand Jury, and, 
in default of two thousand dollars bail, she was 
sent to the county jail. She told Morton that her 
lawyer could not half lie, and that she should not 
pay him a cent. She stood up, when the jus- 
tice's decision was announced, and made quite a 
speech; and the native cunning of the woman 
was never more clearly shown than in this plea, 
which was undoubtedly invented on the spur of 
the moment. She claimed that young Trafton 
had given her the bonds to support her child, 
whose father he was, antl she spoke with so much 



364 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

vigor and cunning that many persons believed her 
statement to be true. Thus, without consulta- 
tion or legal advice, she invented in a moment 
the strongest possible defense against the charge 
of larceny, — the charge of murder had not then 
been brought. 

When she was removed to the jail, she gave 
Morton the keys to her rooms, telling him to take 
charge of everything there, and to find a pur- 
chaser for her furniture. He therefore informed 
two young men who were lodging there that Mrs. 
Sanford had been arrested, and that they must 
find other rooms, as he intended to sell out the 
furniture. After they had gone he cleaned up 
the house, packed Mrs. Sanford's trunks, and 
made everything look as weU as possible. While 
she was awaiting trial, he visited her every day 
and gave her various delicacies to improve the 
prison fare. One day he pretended to have 
pawned his overcoat for five dollars, in order to 
get her some lemons, tea, and sugar. She was 
veiy much touched, and she gave him five dol- 
lars to get back his coat; but this action was 
due to a momentary impulse. She had plenty of 
money, and was able to get anything she wanted; 
but her desire to hold fast to her money was 
greater than her wish for good food. Indeed, 
she came near jeopardizing her cause by refusing 
to pay the lawyer she had engaged, but finally 
she gave him a retaining fee of fifty dollars. 

She was very anxious to learn who were the 
detectives employed in working up the case, and 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 365 

she said that she believed Barlow had had some- 
thing to do with her arrest. Morton agreed with 
her, and, as the papers had said that there were 
three engaged in the case, he suggested that per- 
haps the two men whom she had turned out of 
doors were also detectives. She never suspected 
either Ingham or Morton for a moment ; and 
when Ingham called upon her in jail, she was 
delighted to see him. She tried to get bail from 
the two brothers, named Pratt, who had occu- 
pied one of her rooms, as one of them had been 
very intimate with her; but they were afraid of 
getting mixed up in her difficulties, and so re- 
fused to help her obtain bail. She also asked 
Ingham to swear to a number of falsehoods 
about her intimacy with Trafton, and when he 
refused to do so, for fear of being tried for per- 
jury, she said that she could get " her Billy" to 
swear to anything. This ''Billy" proved to be 
one Wilham Simpson, a barkeeper, and her former 
paramour. He was tracked for some time by 
my detectives, but he suddenly disappeared, and 
was not seen again until her trial for larceny, 
when, just as she said, he was willing to swear 
to anything. He then disappeared again, but I 
did not take much interest in following him up, 
as I knew that he would not dare to repeat his 
perjury when the murder trial should take place. 
His testimony was to the effect that he had over- 
heard a conversation between Mrs. Sanford and 
young Trafton, in which the latter acknowledged 
that he was the father of Mrs. Sanford's child, 



366 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

having been intimate with her in Buffalo about 
eighteen months before. The question of a sup- 
port for the child was discussed between them, 
and Trafton said that he would give her fifteen 
hundred or two thousand dollars in bonds, to 
enable her to bring up his child in comfort. The 
witness also testified that Trafton and Mrs. San- 
ford were very intimate with each other, often 
occupying the same room together ; that Mrs. 
Sanford often spoke of her former intimacy with 
him; and that he inferred from their conversa- 
tion that Trafton had been the cause of her sepa- 
ration from her husband. This testimony was 
very skillfully manufactured and artistically de- 
veloped, so as to make Trafton appear in the 
light of a libertine and profligate, and Mrs. San- 
ford as a confiding wife, led astray by the wiles 
of a treacherous man. In spite of the bad char- 
acter and appearance of this fellow Simpson, his 
testimony had enough weight with some of the 
jury to cause a disagreement, and Mrs. Sanford 
was remanded to jail. 

Mr. Eobert S. Trafton was anxious to bring 
her to punishment, as he felt confident that she 
had caused the death of his son. The circum- 
stances of the case caused considerable delay, and 
it was not until January 27, 1873, nearly a year 
after her arrest, that the trial on the charge of 
mm-der took place. 

The testimony in this trial was highly interest- 
ing on many accounts. The County Physician, 
who had made the first post-mortem examination 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 367 

of the remains, and who had given congestion of 
the lungs as the cause of death, stated that he 
found the deceased lying dead in Mrs. Sanford's 
rooms, and that he took charge of the property 
found in his possession. He stated that he 
should have made a closer examination if he had 
not found the bonds and money; but he did not 
suspect foul play, and therefore made only a 
hasty investigation. 

By the testimony of two or three witnesses it 
was shown that on the night of Trafton's death 
Mrs. Sanford went into two saloons about mid- 
night, asking for *'her Billy," meaning the man 
Simpson, by whose testimony she escaped con- 
viction on the larceny charge, he being then liv- 
ing on her bounty. While looking for him she 
was very wild and excited, her clothes being dis- 
ordered, and her watchchain broken. To one 
witness she said that she wished Billy to come to 
her house to look at the "prettiest corpse she 
ever saw." One witness testified that she re- 
turned to his saloon about five or six o'clock in 
the morning, and induced him to go up to her 
rooms to look at the body; he did so, and found 
the body of a man lying in bed, partly covered 
up. She had a large roll of money and papers in 
her pocket-book. 

A surgeon of the highest reputation in Cleve- 
land was called, and gave his testimony in the 
most direct and convincing manner, like a man 
who knew perfectly well what he was talking 
about, and who was not guessing at any of the 



368 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

facts as stated by him. He declared that death 
resulted from the blow on the right side, aided 
by the violence on the throat and neck. There 
was very slight congestion of the brain and of 
the lungs, but he was positive that death was not 
the result of either of these; indeed, leaving out 
of consideration the marks of external violence, 
he said that he should not have been able to ac- 
count for Mr. Trafton's death. At the conclusion 
of his re-direct examination he said that death 
could be caused by a heavy blow of the fist, fol- 
lowed by choking, and he would swear positively 
that Trafton's death was produced by violence. 
The testimony of this witness was corroborated 
by that of several other surgeons of high reputa- 
tion, and then a sensation was created by the call- 
ing of John Ingham for the prosecution. 

As Mrs. Sanford saw her well-beloved friend, 
Jack, take the stand and acknowledge himself to 
be one of Pinkerton's dreaded detectives, she 
broke down and cried bitterly. Ingham related 
the history of his connection with the affair, 
stating the different stories which Mrs. Sanford 
had told about Trafton's death, and also her fear 
of going in the room where he died. He then 
gave the inside history of his arrest for the 
alleged robbery of Adamson, showing that it had 
been planned in advance by me to induce Mrs. 
Sanford to give him her confidence. After her 
arrest for larceny, he had visited her in jail, and 
she had tried to get him to swear that he had 
heard Trafton promise to give her the bonds to 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 369 

support her child. When he objected, on the 
ground that he might be arrested for perjury, she 
had told him that "her Billy," meaning WiUiam 
Simpson, would swear to it anyhow. 

The testimony of Mr. Warner relative to find- 
ing the bonds in Mrs. Sanford's possession was 
corroborated by that of the constable; they also 
repeated Mrs. Sanford's remark made during the 
search, before any charge of murder had even 
been suggested: "By the way you act, I should 
think you were looking for a murdered man." 

When the testimony for the prosecution was 
all in, the defense had a turn, and they produced 
as many medical experts to prove that Trafton 
did not die of violence, as the other side had to 
prove that he did not die a natural death; indeed, 
from the medical testimony given, there might 
have been grave doubts raised as to whether he 
had any business to die at all, for, according to 
both sides, no adequate cause of death had been 
discovered. Several witnesses testified that they 
beheved him to have been on a long spree just 
before his death, but these were soon rebutted by 
equally trustworthy witnesses for the jDrosecution. 

In summing up, the counsel for the people 
presented a highly plausible theory of the man- 
ner in which the murder was committed, and 
asked a verdict on the following grounds: 

Young Trafton, as shown by the testimony of 

his father and others, visited Chicago to buy 

grain, and he was, therefore, under the necessity 

of carrying vdth him a large amount of money. 

16* 



370 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

Being unable to get a room at any hotel conve- 
nient to business, he probably entered the first 
place where he saw the sign, "Rooms to Rent," 
and engaged a sleeping-room, taking his meals at 
a hotel near by. While lodging with Mrs. San- 
ford, he was trying to buy grain at a paying 
figure, and he was daily in consultation with 
Captain Dalton, Y/ho commanded one of his 
father's schooners. Finding that he could not 
buy to any advantage in the existing condition 
of the grain market, he sent the schooner back 
to Cleveland on the last day of November^ in 
order that she should not be caught in the ice in 
the straits at the close of navigation. He was 
then ready to return himself, and, doubtless, on 
going to his lodgings, he so informed Mrs. San- 
ford. As he had made no secret of his reason 
for visiting Chicago, she was, probably, well 
aware of his object, and also of the fact that he 
had a large amount of money with him. Seeing 
his careless ways, the idea occurred to her to rob 
him, and, having his expected departure in view, 
she knew that she would have only one more 
opportunity to carry out her scheme. 

On his return that evening, therefore, having 
just parted from Captain Dalton in perfect health 
and sobriety, he was invited to eat supper with 
her. Suspecting no harm, he sat down and ate 
a hearty supper. In some way, either in his food 
or drink, a dose of morphine was given to him, 
and he soon fell fast asleep. The woman's oppor- 
tunity was before her, and all the natural thirst 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 371 

for money which characterized her came upon 
her with full force, urging her on and inciting 
her to any lengths necessary to accomplish her 
object. Having laid him on his bed, she began 
to search his pockets with the stealthy touch of a 
practiced hand. Finding nothing at first to re- 
ward her search, she pulled off one of his boots 
and discovered tlie United States bonds, which 
he had concealed there. But the violence neces- 
sary to remove the boot caused him to partly 
waken from his drugged sleep, and he became 
vaguely aware that some one was trying to rob 
him. Still in a drowsy, confused state, however, 
he was unable to do more than to sit up and 
clutch wildly at his assailant; having caught one 
of the bonds, he clung to it until it was torn in 
two pieces, the fragments plainly showing how 
they had been wrenched asunder in the clasp of 
two determined hands — those of the murderess 
and her victim. But she soon found that he was 
gaining his senses too rapidly, and that she 
would be foiled in her attempted robbery; hence, 
with every blinding passion aroused, her greed 
and her fear equally inciting her to action, she 
struck him a heavy blow on the thigh and an- 
other more powerful one on the side. Partly 
stunned by the concussion, he feU back, and she 
then seized him by the throat. Her round, plump 
hands, though powerful enough to strangle him, 
left only slight marks of abrasion on the skin, 
and in a few minutes all was over. His property 
was at her mercy, and she gave no thought to 



872 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

the body of her victim until she had seized every 
piece of valuable paper in his possession. 

But her position v^as a dangerous one, and, on 
cooling off somewhat, she saw that something 
must be done to remove any appearance of foul 
play. How could it be done most effectually ? 
Manifestly by giving no apparent ground for sus- 
pecting that she had any object in his death ; 
and no course would be more effectual than to 
leave such an amount of property in his posses- 
sion as to make strangers believe that none of it 
had been taken. It may well be imagined that 
this was her hardest task ; for to give up money 
was probably a greater hardship for her than 
for some people to give up life. Still, it would 
never do to run the risk of being accused of mur- 
der ; so, reluctantly, she placed one bond in his 
pocket, and, by accident, included with it one- 
half of the torn bond, the other half being placed 
under his head, in the boot from which it was 
taken. She then undressed the body, placed it 
naturally in bed, and went out to look for ^^her 
Billy," her paramour and panderer in vice. 

This was the history of the crime, as pictured 
by the prosecution ; and all her actions since 
that fatal night had been in harmony with such 
a theory. Her allegations of intimacy with 
young Trafton were unsupported, save by the 
testimony of this William Simpson, her para- 
mour. It was noticeable that, while this man 
had testified in the trial for larceny that he had 
overheard Mr. Trafton's acknowled^rment of 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 3^3 

being the father of Mrs. Sanford's child, in the 
murder trial he was not asked to give any such 
testimony, nor was the existence of such a child 
even hinted at by the defense. The counsel for 
Mrs. Sanford were well aware that she had never 
had a child, and that this fact could be proven if 
necessary. On discovering, too, that Jack Ing- 
ham was a Pinkerton detective, instead of Mrs. 
Sanford's best friend, they saw other reasons 
why it would not be advisable to cause Mr. Wil- 
liam Simpson to perjure himself again. 

The defense contented themselves with claim- 
ing that there was no sufficient evidence to prove 
that Mr. Trafton had died a violent death at all, 
and that there was no evidence whatever to show 
that, even if foul play had occurred, Mrs. San- 
ford had been the guilty person. This plea was 
ably presented by the counsel, and the judge 
then briefly charged the jury as to the law, and 
the form of their verdict. During the early part 
of the trial, Mrs. Sanford behaved very badly, 
often contradicting witnesses aloud, and making 
many audible remarks to the jury and the Court; 
after the testimony for the defense began, 
however, she paid very little attention to the 
proceedings, often dozing and sleeping in her 
chair. This habit was, undoubtedly, due to the 
use of morphine, of which she consumed large 
quantities. 

The jury retired at three o'clock, and, on the 
first ballot, they stood nine for conviction and 
thi-ee for acquittal. After discussing the testi- 



374 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

mony for more than four hours, a compromise 
was reached, and the judge having been in- 
formed that the jury had agreed upon a verdict, 
the prisoner was brought in to hear the finding. 

All being in readiness, the clerk read the 
verdict as follows: 

^' We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of in- 
voluntary manslaughter, and fix her time of 
imprisonment at five years in the penitentiary." 

At the word ^'guilty," Mrs. Sanford gave a 
violent start; but, as the remainder of the finding 
was read, she seemed to feel agreeably surprised. 
She asked for a glass of water in a low tone, 
turned very white, and then fainted away before 
the water could be handed to her. 

She was then removed to the jail to await the 
argument on a motion for a new trial. While 
there, she gave one of the most effectual evi- 
dences of her ruling passion — greed. She was 
the object of considerable sympathy among a cer- 
tain class of sentimentalists, and the amount of 
compassion wasted upon her was remarkable to 
those who knew her real character and habits; 
but there is no accounting for tastes, and so Mrs. 
Sanford was treated with great consideration by 
a number of well-meaning but unsophisticated 
people. Among the Good Samaritans who took 
the most interest in her was a lady named Mrs. 
Jones, and this lady visited her quite frequently 
in her cell, bringing her books and papers. 

One morning, Mrs. Jones complained of feel- 
ing unwell, and Mrs. Sanford immediately gave 



MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 3T5 

her a glass of water. Soon after drinking it, 
Mrs. Jones became very sleepy, and in a few 
minutes, she was in a sound slumber. This ef- 
fect had been produced, of course, by a dose of 
morphine in the water, and Mrs. Sanford then 
proceeded to rob Mrs. Jones of all her valuables. 
Mrs. Jones was in moderate circumstances, and 
her purse was not sufficiently well filled to satisfy 
Mrs. Sanford 's avaricious demon ; hence, she 
made a thorough search for other plunder. It 
happened that Mrs. Jones, having lost all of her 
upper teeth, had supplied their place by an arti- 
ficial set, mounted on a plate of solid gold, j^ot 
content, therefore, with plundering her benefac- 
tress in other respects, Mrs. Sanford actually 
took the set of teeth from Mrs. Jones's mouth, 
and hid them in her own trunk. 

Of course, on awakening, Mrs. Jones missed 
her teeth and charged Mrs. Sanford with having 
taken them. The latter denied having done so, 
railed and swore at Mrs. Jones, and tried to pre- 
vent the officers from searching the cell. The 
teeth and other articles stolen from Mrs. Jones 
were found at the bottom of Mrs. Sanford's 
trunk, and Mrs. Jones retired from the jail 
strongly impressed with the conviction that phi- 
lanthropy had its hardships as well as rewards. 

The motion for a new trial being overruled, 
sentence was pronounced in accordance with the 
verdict of the jury, and Mrs. Sanford was con- 
signed to the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet. 

In regard to the manner in which young Traf- 



376 MRS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 

ton was murdered, I have always had a theory of 
my own; and, while of course I do not pretend to 
any surgical learning, I give it for what it is 
worth, prefacing it, however, with the remark 
that several eminent physicians concur in my 
opinion, or, at least, admit its strong probability. 

It will be remembered that Mrs. Sanford used 
morphine continually, and that she boasted of 
her ability to administer it in just the proper pro- 
portion to cause her victims to fall into a heavy 
sleep. In all probability, as suggested by the 
State's Attorney, she gave young Traf ton a dose 
at supper; but it is also possible the effect was 
not sufficient, and that when she tried to rob him, 
he slightly revived, struggled, and, seizing one of 
the bonds in a convulsive grasp, tore it in two. 

So far, the theories are identical, but I failed to 
see a sufficient cause of death in the slight blow 
and mild choking, especially as the lungs did not 
present the conditions which would have ap- 
peared had death resulted from strangulation or 
asphyxia. On searching Mrs. Sanford's rooms, 
Mr. Warner found two or three small syringes, 
intended for making hypodermic injections, and 
these led me to believe she caused Traf ton's death 
by morphine alone. My idea was as follows: 

When she found that Trafton was not suffi- 
ciently drugged to enable her to rob him in safety, 
she probably let him alone, and the drug again 
took effect to the extent of putting him to sleep. 
She then resorted to a subcutaneous injection of 
morphine, knowing that the soporific influence of 
the drug would thus be made more rapid and 



HmS. SANFORD ARRESTED. 3Y7 

powerful. This operation was performed on the 
side, and then near the large veins of the leg, and 
thus were caused the apparent bruises filled with 
extravasated blood. Now, the effect of morphine 
varies largely, according to the constitution, tem- 
perament, and habits of the persons to whom it 
is given; but the combined result of internal and 
external doses almost invariably is death. 

It seems altogether probable to me, therefore, 
that Trafton came to his death in that manner, 
and that the traces of morphine in the wounds, 
as in the stomach, had wholly evaporated before 
the Cleveland surgeons made their examination, 
twelve days after death. 

Whatever may have been the means, however, 
there can be no doubt that murder most foul was 
committed, and that Mrs. Sanford richly deserved 
a^reater punishment than was awarded to her. 
Whether she had any accomplice will never be 
known, but it is probable that she had some one 
in the house who was aware of the murder after 
it had been committed, if not before. This 
would account for the absence of the fifth bond, 
which was never recovered, but which was after- 
ward traced back from the Treasury Depart- 
ment, when it was presented there, to some un- 
known woman, who had sold it in Milwaukee. 
This woman was evidently not Mrs. Sanford, but 
her identity could not be discovered, and, there- 
fore, all trace was lost. 

THE END. 



1879 



1879. 




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Tempest and Sunshine ^i 50 



Mary J. Holmes' "Works. 



English Orphans i 50 

Homestead on the Hillside i 50 

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Meadow Brook i 50 

Dora Deane i 50 

Cousin Maude i 50 

Marian Grey i 50 

Edith Lyle. i 50 

Daisy Thornton (New) i 50 

Marion Harland's 



Darkness and Daylight. 

Hugh Worthington. 

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West Lawn 

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"Works 



Alone $1 50 

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True as Steel. 



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Husbands and Homes 

Ruby's Husband 

Phemie's Temptation.. 

The Empty Heart 

Jessamine. 

From My Youth Up 

My Little Love 



Cliarles Dickens— 15 Vols.—'* Carleton's Edition." 

David Copperfield 

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Little Dorrit 

Our Mutual Friend 

Curiosity Shop — Miscellaneous. 
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Pickwick, and Catalogue ^i 50 

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Beulah ^i 75 I St. Elmo.. 

Macaria ^75 Vashti 

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A Terrible Secret i 5° 

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A W^onderful Woman 

A Mad Marriage 

One Night's Mystery. 
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Harris- 



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Chris and Otho i 50 

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Carleton's Popular Readings. 
Selected Prose and Poetry— Edited by Mrs. Anna Randall-Diehl 



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M. M. Pomeroy (" Brick.") 



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A Harvest of Wild Oats — A Novel, by Florence Marryatt 

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Why Wife and I Quarreled — By the author of " Betsey and I are Out" 

True L-ove Rewarded — A new Novel, by the author "True to the Last " 

Threading My Way— The Autobiography of Robert Dale Owen 

The Debatable Land — By Robert Dale Owen 

Lights and Shadows of Spiritualism — By D. D. Home 

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Lion Jack — A New Illustrated Menagerie Book for Boys. — P. T. Barnum 

West India Pickles — Journal of a Tropical Yacht Cruise, by W. P. Talboys. .. . 
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Laus Veneris and other Poems — By Algernon Charles Swinburre 

Parodies and Poems and My Vacation — By C. H. Webb (John Paul) 

Comic History of the United States — Livingston Hopkins. Illustrated 

Mother Goose Melodies Set to Music — with comic illustrations 

Jacques Offenbach's Experiences in America — From the Paris edition 

How to Make Money ; and How to Keep It — By Thomas A. Davies 

Our Children — Teaching Parents how to keep them in Health. — Dr. Gardner. .. 

Watchman ; What of the Night 1 — By Dr. John Gumming, of London 

Fanny Fern Memorials— With a B^ographj', by James Parton 

Tales from the Operas — A Collection of Stories based upon the Opera Plots 

New Nonsense Rhymes — By W. H. Beckett, with illustrations by C. G. Bush. 

Progressive Petticoats — A Satirical Tale, by Robert B. Roosevelt 

Souvenirs of Travel — By Madame Octavia Walton Le Vert, of Mobile, Ala... 

W^oman, Love, and Marriage — A spicy litde Work, bj' Fred Saunders 

The Fall of Man — A Darwinian Satire, by author of "New Gospel of Peace"... . 

The Chronicles of Gotham— A Modern Satire, . . Do. . . Do 

Ballad of Lord Bateman — With illustrations by Cruikshank (paper covers) 

The Yachtman's Primer — For amateur Sailors. T. R. Warren (paper covers) 

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Transformation Scenes in the United States — By Hiram Fuller 

Kingsbury Sketches — Pine Grove Doings, by John H. Kingsbury. Illustrated 

Miscellameoiis Novels. 

Led Astray — Ey Octave Feuillet. . .^i 50 I A Woman in the Case — Turner... 
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So Fair yet False — Chavette i 50 A Woman in Armor— Hartwell.. . 

A Fatal Passion — C. Bernard i 50 

Seen and Unseen i 50 

75 

50 

75 



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Kenneth, My King — S. A. Brock.. 
Heart Hungry — M.J.Westmoreland 
Clifford Troupe. Do. 

Silcott Mill— Maria D. Deslonde... 
John Maribel. Do. 

Passing the Portal — Mrs. Victor.. 

Out of the Cage— G. W. Owen 

Saint Leger — ^Rich ird B. Kimball. . 
V/as He Successful ? . . . Do. 
Undercurrents of Wall St. . Do. 
Romance of Student Life. . Do. 

To-Day Do. 

Life in San Domingo. . . . Do. 
Henry Powers. Banker. . . Do. 

A Book about Doctors 

A Book about Lawyers 2 00 

Manfred — By Guerrazzi i 75 



Phemie Frost — Ann S. Stephens... 

Marguerite's Journal. For girls.. 

Romance of Railroad — .Smith 

Charette — An American novel 

Fairfax — John Esten Cooke 

75 i Hilt to Hilt. Do 

75 Out of the Foam. Do 

Hammer and Rapier Do 

Warwick — By M. T. Walworth. . . . 

Lulu. Do 

Hotspur. Do 

StcrmclifF. Do 

Delaplaine. Do 

Beverly. Do. 

Beldazzle's Bachelor Studies 

Northern Ballads — E. L.Anderson 

O. C. Kerr Papers. 4 vols, in one.. 

Victor Hugo — His autobiography. . . 

Sandwiches — I'y Artemus Ward. . . 

Widow Sprigs ins — Widow Bedott. 

V/ood's Guide to N. Y. City 

Loyal unto Death 

Bessie W^ilmerton — Westcott 



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